“I think medical cannabis for the right use is very important. But we have concerns of city employees serving the public, in their capacity engaging with the public, operating equipment,” said Richmond City Manager Rob Minerich.
The city commission is expected to vote Tuesday to “not accommodate or permit the use of cannabis” by anyone working for the city.
“A safe stance to take at this time. I think we will re-address 6 months to a year and see where we are with it,” said Minerich.
Richmond city leaders say they’ve discovered that many other cities are about 50/50 on this issue. But they say it’s likely they may revise their ordinance based on what the future holds.
Matthew Bratcher with Kentucky Norml says Richmond’s planned move is disappointing.
“You know off the job cannabis use is not positively associated with elevated use of accidents or injuries,” said Bratcher.
He says some companies are doing away with standard drug tests and instead checking for impairment.
“You come in, that machine could tell if you were over caffeinated, or had too little sleep, it would keep you from clocking in, until you passed those tests,” Bratcher said.
Richmond city leaders say if there is demand for cannabis cards and workers use them for the right reason, they may re address the issue.
Dispensaries chosen in a lottery can make the cannabis available January 1rst, but state leaders say it’s doubtful the system will be up and running by then.
https://www.wkyt.com/2024/12/09/richmond-considering-medical-cannabis-ban-its-city-workers/
