New law clears Maryland firefighters, EMT workers for off-duty medical cannabis use
Maryland firefighters soon won't have to fear repercussions for off-duty medical cannabis use, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Wes Moore.
It goes into effect Oct. 1, and it's something firefighters in the state have been fighting to be able to do for years.
Howard County firefighters have been on the forefront of this effort for years, and actually got permission for off-duty use at the county level months ago.
However, the Howard County firefighters' union made it clear it wasn't going to stop until all Maryland firefighters were able to do it.
Years in the making
When Gov. Wes Moore signed the off-duty use permission into law on Tuesday, Howard County firefighters Matt Johnson and Brad Klukas made sure to see it happen in person.
For them, it's a moment three years in the making.
"We were told by a lot of people it would never get done. So, it's really surreal after three years and going through all of this that it's actually done," said Johnson, who's also the vice president of IAFF Local 2000.
The two know the difference it will make. Firefighters are known to have a higher risk of some cancers, chronic pain, and PTSD.
Klukas, who served as an executive board representative for IAFF Local 2000, said medical cannabis is an alternative that helps firefighters avoid things like opioids, which can lead to addiction.
"Being able to treat those issues is going to make us far better at our job than we ever were before, both as individuals and as a team," Klukas said.
Impairment concerns
Before the bill granting off-duty medical cannabis use passed this legislative session, concerns centered around potential impairment on the job.
Eric Smothers, a former president of the Maryland State Firefighters Association, was one of those critics.
"You're taking the medical directors' authorities away when you don't add them into the equation here," Smothers testified at a hearing for the bill. "Those are the folks that locally have the ability to say whether or not one of their members, volunteer, or person is fit for duty."
The firefighters' unions that advocated for this, however, argued that there are already strong "fitness of duty" tests in place for any kind of impairment.
"[We screen for] any type of medication that would cause them any sort of impairment, or that would affect their ability to perform their duties," said Jeffrey Bundle, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland. "They're already prohibited from reporting to duty under those type of conditions."
Andrew Pantelis, the vice president of the Interational Association of Firefighters, also pointed out that other states have done this already.
"We've had this in places like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over 10 years now, where they haven't had any instances of challenges of on-duty impairment," Pantelis said.
