New South Wales Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis has committed to meeting a group of medicinal cannabis experts and patients to address concerns about workplace drug-testing policies.
During budget estimates last week, Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham pressed Cotsis on the issue, and she acknowledged that "thousands of workers" prescribed medicinal cannabis deserve better consideration under current policy.
Buckingham pointed to a growing number of NSW residents — particularly those employed in the public sector — who are prescribed the medicine for serious and complex health conditions and are being adversely affected by existing testing arrangements.
He said: "They're arriving at work – there may be a drug-testing regime, or they're self declaring – and they are losing their jobs, losing shifts because of a drug test or a declaration that they have medicinal cannabis in their system.
"But that does not correlate with impairment or intoxication, and that's a significant issue for them."
Cotsis responded by telling Buckingham he was "absolutely right that there are thousands of workers that are prescribed medicinal cannabis, and we need to make sure that we, as a government, are accommodating particularly those people who are undertaking treatment or have got chronic illness."
When Buckingham called on her to meet with a delegation of industry experts and patients, she agreed, adding: "Absolutely… and I'll also have a number of officials with me as well as seeking advice from [health] minister [Ryan] Park.
"It'll be really important to hear their views, particularly around workplace issues."
