WCB changes policy on medical marijuana coverage

The Workers Compensation Board has stopped excluding medicinal marijuana from its coverage, says the organization’s director of workplace safety.

On Thursday, Kate Marshall told MLAs on the communities, land and environment committee that the board changed its policy in the fall and will look at it on a case-by-case basis.

“We’re not inundated with requests for it, but we have approved it in some cases,” she said.

While the use of marijuana as a medical treatment is one issue for the board, Marshall said there are also issues around workplace safety.

Marshall said she has attended presentations on the use of medical marijuana in “safety sensitive” workplaces and it’s something the board will have to consider in the future.

“It’s something that’s definitely on our radar,” she said.