More than 500 delegates attending a WorkSafeNB conference in Saint John listening to a discussion about how legalizing marijuana will impact the workplace.
A huge crowd at the Trade & Convention Centre to hear Dr. Paul Atkinson speak at the WorksafeNB conference. pic.twitter.com/LeJannD8TF
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) October 5, 2017
Chief medical advisor Dr. Paul Atkinson told the crowd that despite being legally prescribed in some cases, Health Canada has not issued a drug identification number for cannabis like it has for opioids, Tylenol and your blood pressure meds.
Atkinson says because of this we have a patchwork of different regulations within each worker’s compensation boards because there really is not standard at this point.
Dr. Atkinson is the chief medical advisor for WorkSafeNB. He is moderating a talk on marijuana in the workplace. pic.twitter.com/fhIwpuoDYV
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) October 5, 2017
Dr. Andrea Burry is also a medical advisor at WorkSafeNB.
She says Sir William Osler, a father of modern medicine, claimed in a 1915 textbook that cannabis was the best treatment for migraine.
Burry says the term marijuana is a slang term with racist roots and she believes we should go back to the term cannabis.
She says when it’s prescribed it is used to treat chronic pain and post traumatic stress disorder.
Lawyer Matt Letson describes the legalization of marijuana as a grand social experiment.
He says while they have some legal parameters governing marijuana and the workplace there is a lot that is undefined.
In the last four weeks, Letson says Ontario, New Brunswick and Alberta has introduced a framework of how they will sell marijuana and some indication of how they will regulate its use in society.
Dr. Andrea Burry, Medical Advisor – Southeast Region, WorkSafeNB – Marijuana and the Workplace panel #SafeConfNB pic.twitter.com/B434oYF4qs
— WorkSafeNB (@WorkSafeNB) October 5, 2017
