cannabisnews.com: Democrats Spar Over Medical Pot for Workers 





Democrats Spar Over Medical Pot for Workers 
Posted by CN Staff on February 26, 2007 at 07:33:03 PT
By Janie Har
Source: Oregonian
Salem, OR -- The political stakes might not be as high as for school funding or tax increases, but two Democratic senators are jousting over workers' right to smoke medicinal dope. Last Monday, Sen. Rick Metsger of Welches hustled out of his business and transportation committee a bill giving employers leeway to boot workers who use medical marijuana.
Today, Sen. Floyd Prozanski of Eugene will take up a bill in his Commerce Committee that would prohibit those same employers from discriminating against legal pot smokers. Current law is a little hazy in this area. Oregonians approved the medical use of marijuana in 1998 but didn't spell out how it would intersect with workplace laws, other than to say employers don't need to accommodate users. About 13,000 people in Oregon carry a card allowing them to ingest marijuana to treat severe pain or a "debilitating medical condition" such as cancer or glaucoma. Employers say they shouldn't have to stub out their drug policies for medical marijuana users, some of whom might be high on the job and putting co-workers at risk. "We don't have the time to deal with this stuff. We're not a social service agency, and we cannot take the risk of somebody hurting their fellow workers because they were impaired," says Bob Shiprack, lobbyist for the building and construction trades council. "We'll let the Legislature sort this out, I guess," he says. Medical marijuana and civil rights advocates say workers shouldn't be punished for treating a medical condition. If employers are so concerned about safety, they argue, businesses should test to see whether workers actually clock in unable to do their job.  Snipped:Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/yw5zzuSource: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)Author: Janie HarPublished: Monday, February 26, 2007Copyright: 2007 The OregonianContact: letters news.oregonian.comWebsite: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/Related Article & Web Site:ACLUhttp://www.aclu.org/Bill Would Allow Ore. Employers To Enforce Banhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22610.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by dongenero on February 26, 2007 at 09:36:40 PT
firing employees
Last Monday, Sen. Rick Metsger of Welches hustled out of his business and transportation committee a bill giving employers leeway to boot workers who use medical marijuana.Why doesn't he pass a law that allows employers to fire employees impaired by pharmaceutical drugs? If his concern is truly workplace safety, many prescription drugs could impair more so than cannabis.Maybe the next step will be allowing employers to terminate employees who become ill, then medication at the workplace becomes a non-issue. These legislators are setting up some very slippery slopes that do not bode well for worker's rights.
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Comment #5 posted by ekim on February 26, 2007 at 09:32:41 PT
Gov of CA on C-Span 1pm dir tv ch 350
FROM THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
Health Care, Global Warming 
California Gov. Arnold Schwarz-enegger (R) is the featured speaker at the National Press Club's Luncheon series. He is expected to describe his proposed comprehensive health care reform and an executive order he recently signed establishing a low carbon standard for fuels marketed in California. 
MON., C-SPAN, 1PM ET
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on February 26, 2007 at 09:25:37 PT
Legislators
I suggest that all the legislators and industry officials be forced to take the maximum dose of over-the-counter Benadryl and then get locked in a room together to debate this issue. Wouldn't that be interesting?
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on February 26, 2007 at 08:30:02 PT
I've met some of the dimmest bulbs in the lamp
and none of them have had trouble operating a bong.Leave it to big pharma to spend billions to create a bong that people can't and don't want to use. (BGreen shakes his head in disbelief)Maybe it's not the bong itself but what we load it with that makes a difference?Why yes, I think it does. :-)The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 26, 2007 at 07:43:35 PT
Picture of Exubera
http://www.pfizer.se/FileOrganizer/Diabetes/EXUBERA.gif
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 26, 2007 at 07:39:10 PT
Pfizer Taking Some Hits Over Billion-Dollar Bong 
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 26, 2007NEW YORK -- Last year, Pfizer paid Sanofi-Aventis $1.4 billion for Exubera, a new inhaled insulin product for diabetics that Pfizer forecast would produce $2 billion in sales every year.What Pfizer got for its cash was a device that looks a lot like a marijuana bong—and a brand that analysts, doctors, drug sales reps and some patients believe is a struggle to sell because it is so inconvenient to use.And what was expected to be a dramatic blockbuster launch has turned into a bust, with repeated delays and negligible sales. Now, few observers outside Pfizer believe that Exubera can reach $2 billion in sales, a forecast the company repeated to analysts in January.“I think Pfizer is on drugs” if it believes it will get $2 billion a year from Exubera, said David Kliff, publisher of Diabetic Investor, a specialist investment data company. If Pfizer does reach its goal, “I’m going to run down Madison Avenue naked,” he says. Kliff believes Pfizer will be lucky if Exubera ultimately does half the business that Pfizer is predicting.Complete Article: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003550265
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