Policy on Cannabis for Medical Purpose by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board




WSIB, The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board have published its official Operational Policies on Cannabis for Medical Purposes. This policy issues precise guidelines about when the WSIB will pay for medical marijuana to treat workplace injury and illness. It also helps to establish when and how employees may use medical cannabis at the workplace premises. This will help you manage workplace medical cannabis use fairly, consistently and legally.

If an employee is injured or falls ill, these WSIB guidelines will help you and your employees know what to expect if and when a doctor suggests medical cannabis as a treatment. The WSIB plans to review the policy again in two years, hopefully smoothing out any issues that continue to cause confusion.

Employees under the age of 25 are never eligible for medical cannabis treatment. The WSIB also disallows medical marijuana for anyone who currently has or has ever had a substance abuse issue of any kind.
From alcohol abuse to pain-killer addition, employees who have abused legal or illegal substances in the past is automatically disqualified from receiving medical marijuana from the WSIB. These workers may still have the legal right to receive medical marijuana treatment, but the WSIB won’t compensate for it.
The WSIB particularly draws five conditions for which the drug is an acceptable treatment.
·  Neuropathy and nerve pain
·  Spasms caused by spinal cord injury
·  Nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy/cancer treatment
·  Anorexia caused by AIDS or HIV
·  Pain and other issues which require palliative care
Workers may not take it upon themselves to conclude that medical marijuana is relevant or necessary treatment for their condition. The WSIB requires a qualified medical health professional to examine the person and validate cannabis treatment.

The WSIB requires employees to try conventional and established treatments before turning to medical marijuana. Treatment with marijuana and CBD should commence only when other treatments have failed or were poorly tolerated.

The WSIB requires a physician to approve an employee’s medical marijuana use, but this approval must also have merit. Before approving treatment, the WSIB requires employees to undergo a clinical medical assessment of their condition. The doctor performing the assessment must include measurable findings and specifics in his records, and care must continue after the initial visit.

When undergoing any medical treatment, it’s important to weigh both the benefits and the risks. Though it’s recognized as a natural remedy, this observation is no less true for medical marijuana. The WSIB will recommend this treatment only when it won’t interfere with other prescriptions an employee is taking or treatments they are getting.

The WSIB requires employees using medical cannabis to take the lowest effective dose possible. The daily quantity of dried medical cannabis must not exceed three grams per day while the milligrams (mg) of THC per day should be no more than 30 mg, but in no case shall exceed 75 mg.

An employee who meets all these requirements can have the WSIB pay a reasonable fee for their medical cannabis so long as the drug treats a work-related injury.
The legalization of cannabis has raised specific issues around the accommodation of medical marijuana use, but more importantly, it has shed a light on broader questions related to any prescription or non-prescription drug use in the workplace.
What is the employer obligations?
 What policies and procedures need to be in place? 
What are the supervisor’s responsibilities to report suspected impairment? 
How do you implement and follow-up on the policies?
Drugs and alcohol in the workplace are risk management issues for employers, with impacts on health and safety, absenteeism, employee engagement, customer service, and compliance.
Denning Health, drug, and alcohol consulting services provider can help your organization by providing a strategic review of your absence management program, develop your drug and alcohol policy, alcohol testing program, drug testing, workplace safety to implement and manage your drug and alcohol policy.



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