Today, the National Safety Council, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and twenty partner organizations sent a letter to members of the United States House of Representatives urging leadership to hold hold hearings on the workplace safety impacts of the MORE Act, a bill that would federally commercialize marijuana.
The bill is tentatively scheduled for a vote in the House next week, though some Democratic members have expressed their wish for the vote to be postponed.
For more information, please see the press release from the National Safety Council below:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2020
NSC and Partners Call for U.S. House to Hold Hearings on Workplace Safety Impacts of MORE Act
Organizations concerned about potential effects of pending legislation on workplace health and safety
Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, along with 20 partner organizations from across the country, are urging the U.S. House of Representatives to hold hearings on the workplace safety impacts of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 – also known as the MORE Act.
In a letter sent to House members, NSC and its partners express their collective concern about the implications the MORE Act could have on workplace health and safety, as marijuana impairs psychomotor skills and negatively impacts attention and decision-making, with this impairment posing a significant risk to workers, co-workers, customers and the public.
Because impairment for marijuana cannot be scientifically detected at this time, no standardized impairment regulations have been set. Similarly, functional marijuana sobriety or impairment tests and cut-off levels are not generally available. Yet, marijuana is the drug most often detected in workplace drug testing [1]. Employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more industrial accidents, 85% more injuries and 75% greater absenteeism compared to those who tested negative, according to a study reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“Employers have an obligation to maintain safe workplaces, and without a better understanding of the impact on workplace safety, these changes will affect the safety of workers, their co-workers and the general public,” said Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “We implore members of the House to explore the workplace safety effects of the MORE Act. This includes developing an evidence-based standard for detecting marijuana impairment.”
To view the NSC policy position on marijuana and safety-sensitive positions, click here. More information about addressing cannabis in the workplace can be found here.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
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Smart Approaches to Marijuana
www.learnaboutsam.org
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