California New Marijuana Law: How Does It Impact Employers?

Many states, including California, now allow marijuana for medical or recreational use, which raises hard questions for employers. This 90-minute webinar on marijuana in the workplace explains the challenges cannabis creates for employers and employees.

Marijuana can slow reaction times and cause irritability, loss of focus, lethargy and poor decisions. You'll learn what cannabis is, its medical uses, how it affects safety-sensitive roles, and the legal do's and don'ts, from testing programs to accommodating medical marijuana.

The central goal is to clarify how federal and state laws differ on cannabis at work, and how to write balanced, effective drug and alcohol policies.

• Explain the differences between federal and state marijuana laws at work
• Describe how cannabis affects employees and employer costs, productivity and safety
• Identify safety-sensitive jobs and related obligations
• Decide when you can prohibit use or test for marijuana, including for CDL holders
• Balance medical marijuana needs with workplace safety
• Craft balanced, effective drug and alcohol policies

• The difference between federal and state marijuana laws
• What cannabis is and its medical indications
• How cannabis affects employees, and employer costs, productivity and safety
• The impact of marijuana on workplace safety and safety-sensitive jobs
• Prohibiting use during work hours and with a medical prescription
• Off-duty marijuana use
• How the law affects CDL holders
• Best practices and legal issues in alcohol and drug testing
• Balancing workplace safety against medical needs
• Employer duties and legal considerations for drug and alcohol policies

Employers need clear answers: Can you ban marijuana use during work hours, or even with a medical recommendation? Can you keep testing for it? What about off-duty use and CDL holders? Getting this wrong creates legal and safety risk.

The session suits business owners, department supervisors and managers, HR personnel and health and safety staff.

• Business Owners
• Department Supervisors & Managers
• Human Resource Personnel
• Health & Safety Personnel

Melvin K. Patterson, an attorney licensed to practice before all state and federal courts in California, is General Counsel to the Cedrus Group, a family of international financial services firms with offices around the globe. He is a member of the Labor & Employment Section of the California State Bar and has been admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as well as the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Mr. Patterson is experienced in Labor and Employment litigation and transactional matters in the U.S., Asia and the U.K. He has designed internal business policies, procedures and management structures, as well as inter-corporate relationships and has been a business owner himself. Mr. Patterson is an experienced trial litigator who has handled numerous business and commercial matters for over 20 years on behalf of an elite clientele around the world. He has defended clients in matters brought against companies by employees, commercial business agreements and government regulatory matters. Mr. Patterson holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the John F. Kennedy University School of Law, as well as a Certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management from Cornell University. He has also earned the American Jurisprudence Award, completed specialized training in Assessing Economic Damages, Forensic Discovery and Preservation of Electronic Evidence and Data. Mr. Patterson was nominated to the National Dean's List and has been a speaker before such groups as the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, is a past contributing editor to California Motions In Limine (The Rutter Group) and has been a columnist for the "The Docket", the news and information journal of the San Mateo County Bar Ass'n. He has a knowledge of Korean, Japanese and Spanish languages.