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.