Even cops are confused about cannabis at work
Police forces have adopted wildly different approaches, Dr. Taylor Lougheed says.
In the wake of cannabis legalization, many businesses continue to grapple with how best to develop workplace policies around recreational use. Unfortunately, anyone looking toward the law enforcement community for guidance may come away with more questions than answers.
Over the last several weeks, many of the country’s largest police departments have released their policies relating to the use of cannabis by their off-duty officers. A quick scan reveals a veritable potpourri of approaches that may leave many other business leaders scratching their heads.
A sampling shows, for example, that Calgary and Edmonton police departments have both adopted full bans on any offduty recreational use. Toronto, by contrast, requires 28 days of abstinence prior to work, whereas Montréal requires eight hours. On the other end of the spectrum are cities such as Ottawa and Saskatoon, which have adopted a “fit for duty” approach that is similar to how they deal with alcohol and possibly impairing medications. These wide differences highlight how the profession tasked with upholding the new law is itself still struggling to fully understand the safety implications of cannabis use among its own ranks.
When it comes to the workplace, the main question is undoubtedly safety, which largely translates to the risk of impairment. Just as intoxication with alcohol or impairment with any other medication or drug is a safety concern, so too with cannabis. So how did these departments come up with such different policies?
To understand what may have gone into some of the decisionmaking process, it is helpful to understand the risk of impairment from cannabis. The psychoactive effects of THC, the main ingredient in cannabis responsible for recreational interest, typically last four to eight hours depending on whether it is inhaled or ingested. This window may explain Montréal’s eighthour policy approach, as it would allow for the acute effects of cannabis to wear off.
The chemicals in cannabis, including THC, can be stored in the body’s fat tissue for up to a month, meaning that an individual’s urine test for THC may be positive days or weeks after using cannabis. While well outside the window for acute impairment, the possibility of a positive urine drug test, and the confusion it may cause, may explain Toronto’s 28-day approach. The complete ban on recreational use by Calgary and Edmonton likely represents an overly cautious approach, and one that will likely evolve over time as evidence further develops, or as the police union undoubtedly submits challenges.
This lack of consensus among major Canadian police departments unfortunately means businesses have to navigate their policies themselves. As the significant attention around legalization subsides, most businesses will find that a simple tweak to their existing workplace safety policies around impairment is likely sufficient. “Fit for duty” is a broadly understood term that can apply equally to any potentially impairing substance, and outside of a few very safety specific roles, is likely adequate for most employees.