Greetings from Oz. I'm curious about how the decriminalisation of cannabis for personal use deals with key issues that must touch consumers in some form or another. Perhaps the recently un-yoked folk in Washington State or Colorado might care to comment on a couple of key points some well-meaning Aussie reformists tend to shy away from but which need to be realistically confronted here, like or no-like.
Employment - is someone who uses cannabis precluded from jobs in positions of influence or authority eg. teachers, public servants, politicians etc? How about those in mining/forestry/aviation/public transport/construction? Will the change in legislation mean more workplace drug-testing, amended job-descriptions and/or tougher screening for applicants and incumbents?
Insurance - what happens if someone has an accident behind the wheel or in the workplace resulting in injury or property damage and they are found with cannabis in their system? How have insurers and employers adjusted their policies and protocols when it comes to cannabis use in the workplace and broader community? I am assuming there are caveats already in place for medicinal cannabis users - if so, what restrictions or limitations are imposed on people wishing to acquire this medication? Would existing guidelines simply swing across and apply to newly emerged recreational consumers?
Legal - where does the law stand on cannabis users' 'fitness' to sign or witness legal documents, testify in court or enter into other forms of binding arrangement based on a person's mental competence at the time of agreement? Do people wishing to get car/truck/bus/aviation/nautical licences have to submit to sobriety tests or sign wavers of any sort?
IMHO, the Aussie cannabis scene has grown used to operating under the radar over the last 40 years and with few exceptions there has been little political will (other than JJ McRoach and the Australian Marijuana Party in the early 70's and the South Australian Govt. for a time) to 'open the other eye' on the matter. The Federal Govt. still bundles any talk on recreational cannabis use into the 'too-hard' basket and medical/therapeutic considerations continue dragging-on despite the proven benefits. Hats-off to the willing few working to change attitudes here, and I hope any feedback on this international forum might be picked-up in OZ and prove useful in consigning prohibition to the scrapheap - albeit eventually. Thanks in advance for your comments. Stay safe.
Mod... I've inadvertently posted this thread in the wrong forum. Any chance someone can shift this to the main Cannabis forum? Cheers
Employment - is someone who uses cannabis precluded from jobs in positions of influence or authority eg. teachers, public servants, politicians etc? How about those in mining/forestry/aviation/public transport/construction? Will the change in legislation mean more workplace drug-testing, amended job-descriptions and/or tougher screening for applicants and incumbents?
Insurance - what happens if someone has an accident behind the wheel or in the workplace resulting in injury or property damage and they are found with cannabis in their system? How have insurers and employers adjusted their policies and protocols when it comes to cannabis use in the workplace and broader community? I am assuming there are caveats already in place for medicinal cannabis users - if so, what restrictions or limitations are imposed on people wishing to acquire this medication? Would existing guidelines simply swing across and apply to newly emerged recreational consumers?
Legal - where does the law stand on cannabis users' 'fitness' to sign or witness legal documents, testify in court or enter into other forms of binding arrangement based on a person's mental competence at the time of agreement? Do people wishing to get car/truck/bus/aviation/nautical licences have to submit to sobriety tests or sign wavers of any sort?
IMHO, the Aussie cannabis scene has grown used to operating under the radar over the last 40 years and with few exceptions there has been little political will (other than JJ McRoach and the Australian Marijuana Party in the early 70's and the South Australian Govt. for a time) to 'open the other eye' on the matter. The Federal Govt. still bundles any talk on recreational cannabis use into the 'too-hard' basket and medical/therapeutic considerations continue dragging-on despite the proven benefits. Hats-off to the willing few working to change attitudes here, and I hope any feedback on this international forum might be picked-up in OZ and prove useful in consigning prohibition to the scrapheap - albeit eventually. Thanks in advance for your comments. Stay safe.
Mod... I've inadvertently posted this thread in the wrong forum. Any chance someone can shift this to the main Cannabis forum? Cheers
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