The cannabis industry, worth an estimated $7.2 billion in 2016, precariously straddles the recreational and medicinal market. To balance itself, the industry must put a premium on talent management. Selecting and developing a qualified customer-facing team is an essential ingredient of success for today’s cannabis business executives (CBEs). Customer service, order processing, purchasing, production, and […]
Human Capital Management
Ohio Staffing Company Says It Won’t Allow Employees to Use Medical Marijuana
A Dayton company will not allow its employees to use medical marijuana even though it will soon be legal in our state. BarryStaff, a business that recruits workers for manufacturing companies announced on Monday it won’t be changing its drug and alcohol policy and that employees and future hires who test positive for pot will […]
Willie Nelson Is Looking For a Handful of Good People For His New Marijuana Company
If you’ve ever dreamt of saying the words, “I just applied for Willie Nelson’s weed company,” your dreams are about to become a reality. Willie Nelson is hiring new employees for Willie’s Reserve, his “premium cannabis lifestyle brand” that features his own special, hand-picked brand of pot. The official website says the purpose of the company is […]
How Pennsylvania Employers Deal With Workers Using Medical Marijuana
The Pennsylvania House and Senate have been abuzz in the last few weeks with SB3, the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act, which was signed into law. Why is the Medical Marijuana Act important to Pennsylvania employers and employment law attorneys? Because employees have protections under this act in the workplace, and the law specifically sets forth […]
Are You Focused On The Right Things With Your Workforce?
By Mel Kleiman Where is your focus? Is it on staving off the impacts of the economy and/or the competition instead of on what you can do to improve the experiences of your customers and your employees? If so, to really get ahead of the game, I suggest you focus on the latter — something you […]
Must Employers Accommodate Employee Medical Marijuana Use?
By Eric B. Meyer I’ve blogged before about how grilling a medical marijuana user about her disability, just before firing the employee, could give rise to a viable disability-discrimination claim. In other words, where the disability (as opposed to the medical marijuana use) motivates the employment action, that’s discrimination. I’ve also blogged before that the Americans with […]
Does the Cannabis Industry Present an Opportunity for Organized Labor?
Legal marijuana is here, and it’s not going away. By early 2016, the states of Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska permitted the social use of cannabis, and 23 others protected the sale of medical marijuana. The Second Annual Cannabis Summit in Seattle in early January drew over 300 participants; the group included growers, retailers, academics […]
Why Canadian Employers Must Accommodate Medical Cannabis Users
Employers in Canada have a duty to accommodate employees with medical disabilities that are using prescribed medical cannabis as a treatment. I should say, at the outset, that I am a Human Resources specialist, and my perspective does not constitute legal advice of any kind. Human Rights legislation in Canada requires employers to accommodate individuals […]
Alaska Forecast Predicts Statewide Job Loss — Except in the Cannabis Industry
For the second time in nearly two decades, Alaska’s yearly employment forecast is predicting job losses across the state. The annual report, published recently by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, is predicting a net loss of about 2,500 jobs in 2016 after 1,700 jobs were gained in 2015. “Both statewide and in Anchorage, […]
New Jersey Senate Panel Approves Job Protections For Medical Marijuana Patients
New Jersey employers would be prohibited from firing people because they participate in the state medical marijuana program unless they can show these employees are impaired and unable to do their jobs, according to a bill approved by a Senate committee Monday. The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee voted 6-0 with one […]
Study Finds Employers Have Little Tolerance For Any Cannabis Use by Employees
Medical or recreational use of marijuana is legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia, but employers in those locations continue to have a zero-tolerance policy about the drug’s use in the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found in a survey of HR professionals. In the most extensive survey of employer […]
How to Address Negativity in Your Cannabis Workplace
Your workplace is seething with hostility and negativity. No matter where the bad vibes came from, it’s up to you to help make the atmosphere more positive, productive and supportive. As a manager, supervisor, or staff member, you usually do not control the situation that is causing the negativity. Perhaps no one in your workplace […]
Michigan High Court: Fired Medical Marijuana Users Can Still Get Unemployment
The Michigan Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from the Unemployment Insurance Agency in a case involving benefits for people fired from jobs over medical marijuana use. The denial means people with medical marijuana cards who lost work after failing drug tests will continue to be eligible for unemployment benefits, based on an […]
Ohio Employers Are Warned: Better Get Ready For Medical Marijuana
Every employer in Ohio and surrounding states must now begin to develop workplace controls to fully address the legalization of marijuana in Ohio. To be most effective and legally defensible, these controls should be more expansive than simple revisions to current drug-free workplace and testing policies. Key to these efforts is understanding that marijuana, medical […]
New Staffing Firm Focuses on Employees For the Cannabis Market
You don’t need to grow pot to see your business take root in Denver’s cannabis industry. Just look at Karson Humiston, a 22-year-old who founded cannabis industry staffing firm Gradujuana this summer and plans to expand outside of Colorado this year. “Our first spot outside of Colorado is L.A., which will hopefully be up by […]
How Marijuana Can Get You Fired — Even If You Never Use It
There’s a lot to say about drug testing. For years, it’s been a hot topic of debate between employers and workers, many of whom feel that drug testsviolate their right to privacy. Employers, on the other hand, are concerned about liability — and are willing to ruffle some feathers in order to make sure their […]
Here’s Why Every Workplace Needs to Have a Marijuana Policy
If you’re a small-business owner and marijuana has been legalized in your state, should you care? The short answer is, yes. Nearly half of small businesses don’t have a policy about cannabis use in the workplace and 10% have had employees show up under the influence of a controlled substance at work, according to a […]
How Medical Marijuana Impacts the Arizona Workplace
With the enactment of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (“AMMA”) in 2010, the number of medical marijuana card holders in Arizona is over 65,000 and growing. Chances are your business does or will employ one of them. This article will answer the five most pressing questions facing Arizona employers with the goal of helping them […]
