Pittsburgh Bars Job Discrimination Against MedMJ Patients, Czech Marijuana Legalization Draft Released, More... (9/24/24)

The death toll keeps rising in Sinaloa Cartel factional fighting, Germany's move to legal marijuana commerce is increasingly in doubt, and more.

Pittsburgh. The city council has just approved an ordinance barring job discrimination against medical marijuana patients.

Medical Marijuana

Pittsburgh Bans Workplace Discrimination Against Medical Marijuana Patients. On Tuesday, the city council gave final approval to an ordinance that bars many employers in the city from discriminating against registered medical marijuana patients. The ordinance blocks employers from drug testing registered patients for THC during prior to and during employment and brings patients into the city's existing anti-discrimination code for workers -- with some exceptions.

Under the ordinance, city employers can no longer "discriminate in hiring or employment against any employee or prospective employee because of the individual's lawful status as a medical marijuana patient, including by requiring pre-employment testing for marijuana and such testing during employment as a condition of the employee's employment."

Among the exceptions, however, are workers in the state or federal transportation departments and those who carry firearms as part of their jobs. The ordinance also controversially carves out an exception for workers who are part of collective bargaining agreements.

Employers can still bar workers from using medical marijuana on the job and they can still test workers if there is a suspicion of onsite impairment.

"Gainful employment should be accessible to everyone regardless of the type of medical treatment they receive," said Commission on Human Relations Executive Director Rachel Shepherd. "Taking a prescribed medication for a qualifying disability should not diminish trust in a person's ability to be a reliable and productive employee, nor should it affect their ability to be considered in the hiring process."

International

Czech Justice Ministry Proposes Legalization of Home Marijuana Cultivation, Possession of up to 50 Grams. On Monday, the Justice Ministry released a draft marijuana reform proposal that would legalize the possession of up to 50 grams of weed at home and 25 grams outside the home, and allow for the home cultivation of up to three plants. There is no provision for legal marijuana commerce.

"The legalization only concerns growing and possession for one's own needs by people older than 21," the draft says.

Under the draft, possession of four or five plants or between 51 and 100 grams of marijuana would be a minor offense. In contrast, possession of a higher number of plants or a greater amount of marijuana would still be a crime.

The draft amendment must still be approved by the government and the parliament and signed into law by the president.

German Elections Throw Legal Marijuana Commerce Plan into Doubt. Key pilot programs for the legal sale of marijuana -- the so-called Pillar 2 of the country's move toward marijuana reform -- are in doubt after recent elections and amid concerns raised by the European Commission.

The current "traffic light coalition" government of Social Democrats, the Free Democratic Party, and the Greens has yet to pass the necessary legislation to secure Pillar 2's future. That bill was expected last summer but was delayed and was then expected in April but was again delayed.

The Federal Ministry of Health has yet to finalize the draft legislation, which has frustrated cities that are ready to participate in pilot sales projects. Wiesbaden recently announced plans to move ahead with model projects, while Bremen, Frankfurt, and Munich have also expressed interest.

Meanwhile, right-leaning political parties which have been ascendant in recent state elections, including the Christian Democrats, have been open about their intent to reverse marijuana reforms if they gain more power in pending federal elections.

The European Commission is also slow-walking its review of the law, which means a less marijuana-friendly could be in place before that review is done.

Mexico Sinaloa Cartel Civil War Death Toll Keeps Rising. At least 70 people have been killed in the past two weeks of open combat between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel -- that's another 20 dead since we reported yesterday. Another 51 have been reported missing.

The factional fighting follows the arrest of cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada by US authorities after he was kidnapped and delivered to them by one of the sons of imprisoned cartel founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Guzman's sons lead the other cartel faction, "Los Chapitos."

Clashes broke out in the state capital, Culiacan, on September 9, and shootouts continue to roil the city. Shops and restaurants have closed their doors early and some schools have stayed closed for days.

The Mexican government has sent hundreds of police and soldiers to the state and police have made 40 arrests, including the head of security for Ivan Archibaldo Guzman, head of "Los Chapitos." But the general in charge of the state says it is up to the factions -- not the army -- to end the violence.