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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to making good on his campaign promise to legalize marijuana for recreational use effective July 1, 2018. Much needs to be addressed before this process is complete and con rmed. Distribution channels are still under consideration, and will be decided upon locally, perhaps even municipally in some provinces. It is a possibility that this date will be pushed to later in the year.
Why was the timing right to consider this change? According to a 2016 Forum poll, 5 million adult Canadians use cannabis at least once a month. Greater understanding of the effects of marijuana and the “normalization” of its use, as well as the desire to deal with the societal costs of prohibition and criminalization of use, have in uenced the opinions of Canadians.
According to a 2016 Nanos poll, seven in ten supported the idea that the use of marijuana for recreational use should no longer be illegal.
NO WORKING IF IMPAIRED
The implications of legalized marijuana require golf course owners to consider marijuana use by staff and by customers. The rst consideration – use of marijuana by staff – may be considered as relatively straightforward.
All workplaces should have a policy on substance use for staff while they are at work, and a policy of zero tolerance is the simplest and safest to explain and administer. In the same way that management would not accept a staff member attending work drunk, there should be similar intolerance for staff who arrive for their shifts under the in uence of marijuana.
A substance policy should state the intent of and principles governing the policy, the requirements under that policy, and the consequences if the policy is breached. Consequences could range from suspension, with or without pay, to termination if policy violations are either frequent or particularly egregious.
The policy must also address expectations of staff if they are attending work-related social events. The policy should be discussed during training and orientation, and staff should sign off on the receipt of the policy.
It is the practice of some companies that it is acceptable for employees to have a beer or a glass of wine during a business lunch, which raises the question as to whether it is also acceptable for employees to use marijuana on breaks. Both policies create a grey area, and grey areas result in management challenges. It would be highly inadvisable to allow anyone in a safety sensitive position to use any substance that could cause impairment while at work.
Having a different policy for non-safety sensitive, or management positions, could create challenges in application that likely increase the risk in this area to an unnecessary level. An unambiguous policy of zero tolerance while all staff are working is likely the most straightforward route.
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