Miss. Code § 41-137-13

Current through the 2024 Regular Session
Section 41-137-13 - Limitations
(1) This chapter shall not be construed to do any of the following:
(a) Require an organization for managed care, health benefit plan, private health insurer, government medical assistance program, employer, property and casualty, or workers' compensation insurer or self-insured group providing coverage for a medical, pharmacy or health care service to pay for or reimburse any other individual or entity for costs associated with the medical use of cannabis;
(b) Require any employer to permit, accommodate, or allow the medical use of medical cannabis, or to modify any job or working conditions of any employee who engages in the medical use of medical cannabis or who for any reason seeks to engage in the medical use of medical cannabis;
(c) Prohibit any employer from refusing to hire, discharging, disciplining, or otherwise taking an adverse employment action against an individual with respect to hiring, discharging, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment as a result, in whole or in part, of that individual's medical use of medical cannabis, regardless of the individual's impairment or lack of impairment resulting from the medical use of medical cannabis;
(d) Prohibit or limit the ability of any employer from establishing or enforcing a drug-testing policy;
(e) Interfere with, impair or impede any federal restrictions or requirements on employment or contracting, including, but not limited to, regulations adopted by the United States Department of Transportation in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations;
(f) Permit, authorize, or establish any individual's right to commence or undertake any legal action against an employer for refusing to hire, discharging, disciplining or otherwise taking an adverse employment action against an individual with respect to hiring, discharging, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges of employment due to the individual's medical use of medical cannabis;
(g) Affect, alter or otherwise impact the workers' compensation premium discount available to employers who establish a drug-free workplace program in accordance with Section 71-3-201 et seq.;
(h) Affect, alter or otherwise impact an employer's right to deny or establish legal defenses to the payment of workers' compensation benefits to an employee on the basis of a positive drug test or refusal to submit to or cooperate with a drug test, as provided under Section 71-3-7 and Section 71-3-121; or
(i) Affect, alter or supersede any obligation or condition imposed on a parolee, probationer or an individual participating in a pretrial diversion program or other court-ordered substance abuse rehabilitation program.
(2) This chapter does not authorize any individual to engage in, and does not prevent the imposition of any civil, criminal or other penalties for engaging in, the following conduct:
(a) Acting with negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, in breach of any applicable professional or occupational standard of care, or to effect an intentional wrong, as a result, in whole or in part, of that individual's medical use of medical cannabis;
(b) Possessing medical cannabis or otherwise engaging in the medical use of medical cannabis in any correctional facility, unless the correctional facility has elected to allow the cardholder to engage in the use of medical cannabis;
(c) Smoking medical cannabis in a public place or in a motor vehicle; for purposes of this paragraph (c), the term "smoking" includes vaping and any other method of inhalation of medical cannabis;
(d) Operating, navigating, or being in actual physical control of any motor vehicle, aircraft, train, motorboat or other conveyance in a manner that would violate Section 59-23-7, Section 63-11-30 or federal law as a result, in whole or in part, of that individual's medical use of medical cannabis;
(e) Possessing medical cannabis in excess of the allowable amount of medical cannabis; or
(f) Consumption, by a registered designated caregiver, of cannabis provided for use to a registered qualifying patient.

Miss. Code § 41-137-13

Added by Laws, 2022, ch. 303, SB 2095,§ 7, eff. 2/2/2022.