With medical marijuana now available to Louisiana’s workforce, employees have raised concerns that they could be fired or face other job-related repercussions for testing positive for a legal drug taken on the advice of a physician. A new state panel is searching for solutions to this potential problem that will protect workers and employers.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force met Tuesday to discuss different aspects of the issue and all arrived at the same question: How strictly can the state regulate the private sector with regards to medical marijuana?

Cannabis is now legal for medicinal use in 37 states and recreationally in 19 states. In 17 states, including several Republican strongholds, either lawmakers or courts have established laws that protect employees from discrimination or adverse consequences for using medical marijuana, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. 

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