Dealing with medical and recreational marijuana in the workplace was the focus of the latest Okotoks Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

They hosted 420 Advisory Management to provide members with education on how they as employers can prepare for the legalization of marijuana on Wednesday, October 17.

Brian Bell, Safety Consultant for 420 Advisory Management, says there are a few sectors that will face more challenges than others.

"Large and small construction companies, I think they're going to have challenges. Anybody that has safety sensitive positions, so trucking companies, long haul companies, warehousing where you've got 100 pieces of equipment moving around your warehouse everyday. Anybody that has significant safety sensitive positions really needs to pay attention and really needs to get onboard with this as quickly as they can."

Training and testing are a few areas Bell says he can see being difficult for employers.

Michelle Russell, Head of Business Development for 420 A.M., says the best place to start is with education.

"Businesses need to educate themselves on cannabis and really understand the impacts to the workplace. It's already something that we believe is there. Medical cannabis has been legal since 2001 so I think it's a really good opportunity for companies to look at their policies."

Russell recommends Town Councils, authorities, and other advisory management groups as resources for education.

To learn more about 420 Advisory Management click here.

 

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