Georgia became the 36th state, plus Washington, D.C., to legalize marijuana extracts to treat illnesses. Gov. Nathan Deal signed the “Haleigh’s Hope Act,” which immediately legalized the use of medical marijuana to treat eight serious medical conditions (the law does not permit the smoking of marijuana.) The law specifically allows employers to refuse to “accommodate” an employee’s use of medical cannabis oil. It also allows employers to take adverse action against both on-duty and off-duty users of medical cannabis under a drug policy. Marijuana is still an illegal drug under federal law. However, medical marijuana users may be protected under state or local disability discrimination, or “lawful products,” laws.

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