Friday July 25, 2014 – 11am
Posted Jul 25, 2014 02:13:09 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
11:00- Annie Garau, Indiana University student and intern at the Lexington Herald-Leader
Twenty-year-old Annie Garau hasn’t worn makeup in over 200 days. The Indiana University student kicked off her experiment on January 1st, after realizing just how much time she and her friends spent talking about their appearance-specifically, what they didn’t like about it. Garau’s always been interested in women’s rights, and firmly believes the world would be a better place if its women were more confident, and empowered, so she decided to start at home.
11:30- David Whitten, Partner at the Toronto employment law firm of Whitten & Lublin
The inevitable rise in medical marijuana use in Canadian workplaces and how employers should prepare by establishing policies to strictly govern the use of pot in the workplace. Today in Canada there are approximately 40,000 medicinal pot users. According to Health Canada, that number could rise to 450,000 by 2024. This dramatic increase will be fueled by rapid proliferation of licensed medical marijuana growers and growing awareness among Canadians who need marijuana as medication that they require only a doctor’s prescription to legally purchase the drug. Whitten says that last April’s change to Health Canada regulations, which removed the need to have a license to obtain medical marijuana, have effectively given people the legal right to get high at work provided their doctor authorizes the drug’s use during the work day. In accordance with Ontario’s Human Rights Code, employers must accommodate the use of medical marijuana to the point of undue hardship, just as they would any other prescribed pain medication – up to and including providing frequent breaks and dedicated pot smoking areas. The days of “zero tolerance” of marijuana use in the workplace are clearly over. Failure to allow the use of doctor-prescribed marijuana or terminating an employee who uses medical marijuana without sufficient accommodation can result in fines up to $50,000 and/or reinstatement and payment of back wages.
@DavidWhittenWL
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