In a significant decision about workplace drug use, the Connecticut Appellate Court backed an employer’s right to terminate a worker who was impaired on the job by medical marijuana. The decision also clarified the factual...more
3/20/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Connecticut ,
Drug Testing ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State Labor Laws
With 2023 in the rearview mirror, Connecticut employers may want to confirm they have implemented the necessary changes to address legislative developments that became effective January 1, 2024....more
1/5/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Reform ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers Compensation Act
On May 25, 2022, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed into the law the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which legalized recreational cannabis. As a result, Rhode Island has joined a small but growing minority of states that...more
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently signed Senate Bill 1201, making Connecticut the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years or older. The new law not only requires expungement of certain...more
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte recently signed two bills designed to establish the framework for recreational cannabis and to begin to implement Constitution Initiative 118 (CI-118) and Initiative 190 (I-190), which were...more
On May 29, 2020, the Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a lawsuit alleging a violation of the Rhode Island drug testing statute brought against an employer that terminated an employee for...more
On May 9, 2020, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) released guidelines for businesses that will be allowed to reopen during Phase 1 of the state’s reopening plan....more
Resolving prior uncertainty regarding the impact of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) on employees’ employment rights, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that employees can maintain an...more
In 2012, Congress passed and President Obama signed the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act,” a transportation reauthorization bill referred to as “MAP-21.”...more
11/6/2019
/ Commercial Truck Drivers ,
Databases ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Drug Testing ,
FMSCA ,
MAP-21 ,
Motor Carriers ,
Safety Violations ,
Trucking Industry ,
Trucking Regulations
On June 18, 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Substitute Senate Bill 3, publicly known as the “Time’s Up” bill and identified as Public Act 19-16....more
6/20/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
New Legislation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On June 4, 2019, the Illinois legislature passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (the “Act”) (HB 1438). The Act, notwithstanding federal law, declares marijuana a “lawful product” for state law purposes, and would make...more
6/20/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Pending Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
The Superior Court of Delaware recently issued a decision confirming the state's protections for medical marijuana users. ...more
A Connecticut federal court has issued another decision in the case of Noffsinger v. SSC Niantic Operating Company LLC, further expanding protections to individuals who are qualified under Connecticut’s Palliative Use of...more
9/12/2018
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Employers nationwide take note: if your workplace drug and alcohol-testing policies take a zero tolerance approach to medical marijuana because the use, distribution, or possession of marijuana is unlawful under federal law,...more
8/17/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Popular ,
Preemption ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
Based on a new and unique interpretation of the state constitution, the Connecticut Supreme Court has greatly increased the potential exposure of employers to damage claims by whistleblowers. In Trusz v. UBS Realty Investors...more
On June 22, 2015, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed into law a new statute that extends workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation protection to unpaid interns. Historically, it was unclear whether an...more
6/25/2015
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Commission on Human Rights ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Employment Practices Act ,
Harassment ,
Internships ,
Race Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Unpaid Interns ,
Wage and Hour