When Arkansas voters approved Issue 6 during the Nov. 8 election, legalizing the use of medical marijuana for 17 medical conditions, they simultaneously established a new set of issues for employers and healthcare providers. The state’s hospitals face double exposure to those issues, as both employers and providers, and must be prepared to understand the effects the new law will have for patients and employees in those facilities.
To help provide that understanding, the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring a meeting to provide hospitals with the best information available on the new medical marijuana law. The program, “Medical Marijuana: A Headache for Arkansas’ Healthcare Industry in 2017?,” will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m.-1 p.m.at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, 1200 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock.
In this workshop, Wright Lindsey Jennings attorneys Stuart Jackson and Erika Gee will explore the implications of Arkansas’ new medical marijuana law, both generally and in the healthcare arena specifically. Attendees will receive an up-to-date overview of state agency regulations and the expected timeline for implementation, as well as address healthcare-specific issues, such as how physicians will qualify patients for medical marijuana usage; how the Department of Health plans to regulate testing, labeling and dosages; and what impact the law might have on professional licenses for healthcare professionals.
Information on compliance issues from an employment perspective for healthcare facilities and staff will include differing obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act; protections for “qualifying patients” in the hiring, termination and discipline processes; compliance concerns for federal contractors; and a to-do list to prepare your workplace.
For more details, click on http://www.arkhospitals.org/events/marijuana-in-the-workplace.