The State Chamber of Oklahoma gave lawmakers a list of concerns Wednesday about medical marijuana in the workplace.
Members of the Medical Marijuana Working Group asked Chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan about a potential special session.
"If we could delay implementation, it will give this committee and the legislature time to be able to put this regulatory scheme in place. If not, we would like to see the legislature move as quickly as possible to address the concerns we’ve raised," Morgan said.
Attorney Courtney Warmington is vice chair of the chamber’s human resources and labor law committee and has practiced in that area for almost 20 years.
"And I cannot recall an Oklahoma law related to employers and employees that has ever caused me greater concern than this one now," Warmington said.
The chamber says lawmakers must make it clear employers can discipline employees under the influence of medical marijuana at work, tie potential lawsuits to current drug testing laws and specify qualifying medical conditions.
Warmington said state lawmakers also need to clarify how medical marijuana laws apply to companies that do business with the federal government.
"They can’t comply. The law just needs to be clear that if you are a federal contractor or subcontractor, you are exempted from these provisions. Oklahoma is not permitted to tell an employer to violate federal law up until the time they’re about to lose their federal funding," Warmington said.
Future issues the chamber said need to be addressed include guidance on workers compensation and unemployment.
