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Australia: Victorian workers using medicinal cannabis have been unfairly discriminated against and, in some cases, lost their jobs because of inadequate governing of its use, a new report has revealed.
Victoria needs better workplace drug testing laws to deal with an explosion in the use of medicinal cannabis, a parliamentary inquiry has found. In a report published on Tuesday the upper house’s Legal and Social Issues Committee found employees using medicinal cannabis had been unfairly discriminated against and in some cases lost their jobs because of inadequate laws and regulations governing its use. Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank said the report highlighted the need for government to keep up with medical advancements.
“Workplace drug testing policies produced by WorkSafe have not been updated in Victoria for 17 years, they were drawn up almost a decade before doctors could prescribe medicinal cannabis here” he said. “We really need to get with the times because more than 1.2 million prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have been issued nationally to help people suffering a range of debilitating conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and multiple sclerosis. It is critical that both government and workplace policies reflect contemporary, health-led approaches to occupational health and safety".
“The inquiry heard that workers in a diverse range of sectors have been sacked or disciplined even though they were not affected or impaired by medicinal cannabis, they just had tiny traces of cannabinoid chemicals in their system”. Industries including mining, transport, maritime, aviation and police, all have mandatory drug testing that requires workers to be tested to keep their jobs. The report made eight recommendations including calling for a prohibition on drug testing in non-mandated industries except in circumstances where employers had a “well‑founded belief that an employee may be impaired at work”.
“The current WorkSafe advice is that testing policies must be appropriate to the level of risk of the work but that’s not what’s happening. Workers are being sacked even though they were in no way affected or incapacitated” Mr Ettershank said.