NY Legalizes Medical Marijuana: Employment Law Manual and Chart Updated

Authors: David B. Weisenfeld, Marta Moakley and Beth P. Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editors

New York has become the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana use for certain qualifying serious health conditions. An employer may need to discuss possible accommodations with employees. However, even certified patients may not use medical marijuana in a public place.

In addition, unlike most other states with legalization laws, New York does not permit the smoking of marijuana for any reason. Instead, registered patients must ingest or consume the drug through other means.

The following sections of the Employment Law Manual have been updated to reflect this development:

The Medical Marijuana State Chart also has been updated.