The Austin, Texas City Council Public Safety Committee is considering allowing city employed first responders to use medical cannabis.
If approved, the policy would cover all first responders except police officers and others that carry firearms. First responders who drive commercial vehicles will also be excluded due to federal prohibition.
The federal Drug-Free Workplace Act would also prohibit the use of THC while on the job.
The proposal comes as many city agencies are facing staffing shortages. Recently, the question about prior cannabis use has been removed from many applications. This was done with hopes of increasing the amount of applications for approval.
Prior cannabis use being emitted did not change the rules for current cannabis use, though. First Responders can still be fired if they test positive for cannabis on a drug test.
A specific course of action has not been introduced to the council yet. Regardless, individual agencies would be allowed address cannabis usage during the contract negotiation process.
