CANADA:  Employers will ignore Mary Jane at their own peril in the wake of recent changes to Canada’s medical marijuana system, says one employment lawyer.

Companies should be prepared to accommodate a growing number of workers on weed after the federal government brought in its new regime, known as the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR). Under the new guidelines, a patient must obtain a prescription for marijuana that they can bring to a federally licenced grower.

Employers have to understand their legal obligations when facing an employee with a pot prescription, according to employment lawyer David Whitten, including the fact that they must find a way to accommodate the employee’s need to use the drug in the workplace.

Currently, an estimated 40,000 Canadians treat various conditions with pot. But Health Canada estimates that nearly half a million Canadians will be using medicinal marijuana within 10 years.