The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: The Impact of Increased Marijuana Legalization on the Workplace

Education Session Highlights – ATSSA’s 51st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo

By Charles G. Meyer III and Amanda J. Muehlhausen of O’Hagan Meyer

As more states move to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other controlled substances, employers face increasing challenges and liability from employment-related claims in the workplace.

From demands to accommodate medical marijuana use in the workplace to disability related accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to navigate evolving state laws decriminalizing marijuana while federal law continues to prohibit marijuana and other controlled substances.

From the ADA to OSHA to workers compensation claims involving impaired employees, this education session – “The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: The Impact of Increased Marijuana Legalization on the Workplace and Other Employment Law Developments” evaluates employers’ legal duties while providing practical advice to help avoid employment claims. This is one of nearly 50 education sessions offered at ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. It concludes with a look ahead at emerging law trends that may impact your company in 2021, including claims emerging from COVID-19 and new federal and state regulations.

At O’Hagan Meyer, we are committed to giving our clients the latest updates regarding new federal and state laws that may impact your company. We provide practical advice in a wide variety of federal and state employment areas, and we defend our clients when they face litigation arising from these claims.

With over 130 attorneys in offices in Alexandria, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Orange County, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Wilmington, Del., O’Hagan Meyer is well positioned to handle our clients’ needs in a full range of litigation matters.

We hope you join us on Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. as we evaluate the impact of these new state laws on your workplace.

Charles Meyer represents employers in a wide variety of employment matters, including defense of wrongful discharge claims; breach of employment contracts and restrictive covenants; disability discrimination claims under the ADA; age discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; actions filed under the Family Medical Leave Act and Fair Labor Standards Act; and claims of unlawful harassment and race and gender discrimination under Title VII and Section 1981.

He has successfully tried more than 60 jury trials and numerous bench trials in state and federal court. He also regularly represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board, and he has successfully represented clients before the Virginia Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Meyer has been selected for the Best Lawyers in America (Labor and Employment) and Virginia Business Magazine’s “Legal Elite.” He is the immediate past Chair of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and is past Chair of the Professional Lines Attorneys Network (PLAN). He is an active member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), International Association of Defense Counsel, the Virginia Bar Association, and the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys.

Amanda Muehlhausen’s practice focuses on employment litigation and counseling. She represents clients in a wide range of employment issues, including discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, and harassment in federal and state courts on behalf of both unionized and non-unionized companies.

She has defended employers against ERISA denial of benefits and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

In addition to litigation, Ms. Muehlhausen regularly advises clients on the investigation, discipline, and termination of employees; attendance and leave issues under the FMLA and other laws; wage and hour compliance; employment and independent contractor agreements; restructurings, layoffs, and the shutdown of facilities – including advice on the WARN Act and severance issues; issues involving the ADA; and employment-related aspects of federal contractor compliance.

Ms. Muehlhausen has represented clients before federal and state administrative agencies, including the EEOC, U.S. Department of Labor, and similar state and local agencies.

Check out this and other sessions at ATSSA’s 51st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, held online Feb. 8-12 and 16-18. Take this opportunity to make vital connections with members of the roadway safety infrastructure industry.