Bernalillo County is moving toward not penalizing employees for off-duty cannabis use.
County commissioners Tuesday agreed to publish a proposed resolution that, if approved, would amend its drug and alcohol-free workplace policy to eliminate sanctions for employees’ use of cannabis outside of work hours. The changes would effectively treat off-duty cannabis use the same as it would other substances, including alcohol.
Commission Vice Chair Eric Olivas, who introduced the legislation, noted that adult-use of recreational cannabis has been legal in New Mexico since June of 2021.
He said the resolution modernizes county policy to fit what state law allows.
“This is about rights for our workers,” Olivas said. “Rights for folks that we trust every day to save us, literally, when the building is burning down, we trust these folks to operate our detention center under very difficult circumstances.”
He said the change could mean employees who get injured in workplace accidents or otherwise would have an alternative to opioids, “hardcore painkillers” and antidepressants as they recover.
Olivas said cannabis has been around a lot longer than the prescription drugs, and has demonstrated benefits for treating things like chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions.
“And now that there is state recognition of this as a medicinally valuable substance … I think it’s just time that we as a county catch up with the times,” he said.
Olivas clarified that one county rule will not be changed.
“The first words of this revision are drug and alcohol-free workplace,” he said. “This proposal does not change that. No one should be coming into work under the influence of any substance, whether it’s alcohol, whether it’s opioids, whether it’s marijuana.”
Commissioners Walt Benson and Adriann Barboa spoke in favor of the policy change. Benson said restricting workers from using cannabis incentivizes alcohol abuse.
Barboa said earlier generations found it culturally acceptable to use alcohol as a way of dealing with worries, anxieties or trauma.
“And we see where that’s taken us,” she said.
Barboa noted that those on probation and parole are allowed to use medical cannabis and that firefighters should also be granted that privilege. She said the change could help the county with recruitment and retention efforts.
Olivas said he believes supervisors monitoring employees for impairment will develop better relationships with their subordinates and be able to better track their health and mental state.
He said he hopes to bring the resolution back for final approval next month.
Cannabis is a recreational drug, with some possible medical uses (sleep, pain, etc) that have not been well vetted. As such, it should be treated the same as alcohol. As long as an employee is not working under the influence, it should be no one’s business if it’s used recreationally, while off work. The rest of the argument is simply noise.