Landry’s bill builds off previous work she has done on labor protections for medical cannabis users. “It’s gonna take a lot of bringing the experts into the table from labor lawyers and business and everyone else to figure out how this is gonna work.” “If I knew the answer to the problem, I would have offered an amendment in committee to fix it,” Frieman says. While he agreed there is a problem impacting medical marijuana users in the workplace, Frieman says he doesn’t have a solution. Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs, a workers compensation attorney, also opposed the bill. “I was not trying to pass a law that says you can be stoned at work because that’s crazy,” Landry says. Landry characterizes these concerns as misleading. “So if somebody is impaired, gets fired as a result of hurting themselves or some others, then they still would be able to get unemployment benefits.”

“The language in the bill says a qualifying medical marijuana patient who receives a recommendation shall not be disqualified for unemployment benefits,” LABI member Wayne Fontana told the committee. Even without these provisions, LABI has concerns. The bill was amended in committee to remove provisions that would’ve offered protection for worker’s compensation claims. The pair instead committed to work on the bill before it comes up for a vote on the House floor. Marino, chair of the state’s Medical Marijuana Commission, talked Landry out of voluntarily deferring the bill. Joe Marino, I-Gretna, while presenting the bill.

“The Louisiana resident buys the product, then the consumer loses their job and no longer has the money to buy the product that the state says was legal… We have a very strange circle here with the government not being very good at selling marijuana,” Landry says.

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