AFL premiership coaches Damien Hardwick, Alastair Clarkson join fresh push for job protection for those prescribed medicinal cannabis
Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson both take medicinal cannabis — but they say workers like them are at risk of losing their jobs under current laws. Now, the coaching legends are demanding change.
Victoria
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AFL coaching greats Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson are backing a new push to protect workers taking medicinal cannabis from losing their jobs.
A year after lobbying the Allan government to overhaul driving laws for medicinal cannabis users, the coaches have re-entered the political arena to push for workplace change.
Under the proposal – which has been introduced to parliament by the Legalise Cannabis Party – medicinal cannabis users would be protected if they tested positive for the drug while at work.
Hardwick takes medicinal cannabis and said he experiences a variety of benefits.
“I demand protection for workers prescribed medicinal cannabis and call on the Allan government to support change and end the persecution of workers like me.”
Clarkson, who also uses medicinal cannabis, praised those advocating for change and pushing a motion demanding protection for workers prescribed the drug.
“I hope the Allan government supports this change and ensures medicinal cannabis patients aren’t mistreated.”
A motion calling for changes to Victoria’s workplace alcohol and drug laws is expected to be debated in parliament next week.
Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank said almost two million medicinal cannabis scripts had been issued nationally since 2020.
“People should not be impaired at work but, sadly, we know of workers who have lost their jobs because they did what they thought was the right thing and disclosed to their employers that they were prescribed medicinal cannabis,” he said.
“They were in no way impaired.
“Increasingly medicinal cannabis is being used as an effective but gentler and less addictive alternative to opiates and benzodiazepines.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s medicinal cannabis hub said patients should speak to their “medical practitioner (doctor) or nurse practitioner to see if it’s the right treatment for you”.
Common side effects of medicinal cannabis can include confusion, drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, headaches, diarrhoea and mood change, according to the government-funded site Health Direct.
Health Direct’s site said medicinal cannabis, which is only available with a doctor’s prescription, “is not recommended as a first-line treatment for any health condition in Australia”.
Health Direct said patients should “not drive or operate machinery while using medicinal cannabis that has THC”, as it will “impact your driving and can increase your risk of having a car accident”.
A parliamentary inquiry last year recommended an overhaul of workplace drug testing laws to deal with an explosion in medicinal cannabis use.
In its report, the upper house’s legal and social issues committee found employees using medicinal cannabis had been unfairly discriminated against and in some cases lost their jobs because of inadequate laws and regulations governing its use.
Industries including mining, transport, maritime, aviation and police, all have mandatory drug testing that requires workers to be tested to keep their jobs.
The report made eight recommendations including calling for a prohibition on drug testing in non-mandated industries except in circumstances where employers had a “well-founded belief that an employee may be impaired at work”.
“The inquiry heard from workers who had faced disciplinary action and even lost their livelihood just for having the presence of THC in their system. This isn’t right,” Mr Ettershank said.
“Workers prescribed medicinal cannabis are being forced to choose between risking their job or abandoning their medication and living with pain.
“We are introducing a motion to demand implementation of the inquiry recommendations, including amendments to the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 and the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, to guarantee people the right to take a prescribed medication.
“It is also critical that WorkSafe develops compliance codes for alcohol and other drugs to outline exactly how drug testing can be conducted appropriately in the workplace.
“We believe that drug testing should only be undertaken in the context of a comprehensive AOD (alcohol and other drugs) framework developed by employees, unions and employers. If drug testing is required, it must be done in a manner that respects employee rights, dignity and privacy.”
After a campaign by Clarkson and Hardwick last year, the government offered an in-principle agreement to overhaul driving laws to give medicinal cannabis users a defence that would let them drive without the threat of losing their licences.
Originally published as AFL premiership coaches Damien Hardwick, Alastair Clarkson join fresh push for job protection for those prescribed medicinal cannabis
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