If marijuana sales are legalized in CT, what would that mean for the workplace?

Bob Mitchell, with Mitchell & Sheahan in Stratford, predicts the drug will be treated like alcohol.

News 12 Staff

May 11, 2021, 9:48 PM

Updated 1,246 days ago

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A local attorney is offering insight on what marijuana legalization could look like in Connecticut -- specifically in the workplace -- as state lawmakers discuss a pot bill.
Bob Mitchell, with Mitchell & Sheahan in Stratford, predicts the drug will be treated like alcohol.
"You know, you can't come into the workplace tanked up. That's bad," he said. "I don't think there's a protection for being high at work."
An employer can state an employee is impaired, but they cannot say on what without further legal implications, according to Mitchell.
Mitchell says companies and employees alike are having more concerns as the state attempts to legalize marijuana.
"I think they're going to say -- even if it's detected in your bloodstream, unless it's having an actual effect in your working abilities -- it's not going to be a problem for the employee. It's going to be a problem for the employer," Mitchell said.
The Connecticut House Speaker said Tuesday the marijuana bill is still under discussion but may not come up again until later this year.
New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have already legalized marijuana.