The legalization of Marijuana on October 17, 2018, made Canada the second country in the world to formally legalize the cultivation, possession, acquisition, and consumption of cannabis and its by-products. Canada is the first G7 and G20 nation to do so. See "sources" below.
I wanted to take some time to help you examine how it impacts your Clients from their individual rights, employment law issues, intellectual property (branding & marketing), residential tenancies, and business law issues. There’s a lot to cover, so today I’ll focus on Personal Rights/Responsibilities and Employment Law. Next week I will look at the Corporate & IP perspective, along with Real Estate Tenancies & Solicitors, so stay tuned for that!
For an entertaining review of Cannabis in Ontario watch Jim Zegers’ presentation entitled, "Cannabis is Legal, now what?". Jim’s presentation also features some not so frequently asked questions such as " can you give cannabis to your mother as a mother’s day present?" and "can you grow plants in your backyard"!
Rachel Goldenberg reviews "How the Legalization of Cannabis May Impact your Employment Law Practice". She states:
"The main principle to be kept in mind in any discussion of cannabis in the workplace is the importance of striking a balance between ensuring a safe workplace and accommodating employees.
When considering how to handle the use of cannabis in the workplace, an employer must consider a variety of factors including human rights law, safety, privacy, labour standards, the level of supervision available in the workplace, the provisions of any applicable collective agreements, and any regulatory requirements."
Rachel reviews: the employee’s duty of due diligence, employment policies to be updated and what to include, expectations of employees, accommodation rights, documenting evidence, and implementing the policy changes.
In the second part of this series on Cannabis I will be covering Rick Moscone on the corporate perspective, Colleen Spring-Zimmerman on IP law, and Matthew Wilson on Real Estate Tenancies and Solicitors.
Having watched the video and considered the case, what do you think? Feel free to contact me and let me know your opinion.
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*see individual programs and jurisidictional allowances for accredited hours/requirements for Canadian law societies.