From: "Harrison, Paul" <pharriso**At_Symbol_Here**MCMASTER.CA>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Student Intoxication in Lab
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:51:57 +0000
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: A784D28212D6A541B17F89250196670034838BD2**At_Symbol_Here**FHSDB4H16-1.csu.mcmaster.ca
In-Reply-To <1109037139E1524980CF9CBEB24766180118B5F524**At_Symbol_Here**UMF-EX10EMB1.umflint.edu>


With the recent legalization in Canada, we have been preparing for this for some time. Cannabis is legal here, period, so we cannot cite Federal law over Provincial law. However, at McMaster we have developed a policy that includes: (1) we have banned smoking on campus, however there is nothing to stop people smoking (tobacco or cannabis) right beside campus including on their way here. (2) possession on campus is legal, this includes pot brownies, which can be eaten on campus perfectly legally since they are not creating smoke (as per rule 1). However, SALE of said brownies is illegal (anywhere), at least until they work out how to control dose (all of our overdoes on campus have apparently been through edibles, not smokes, because of the delayed onset ("I didn't feel much, so I ate some more....") and lack of control of the dose per brownie. (3) We follow "fit for duty" as a rule for when an employee may be impaired; and (4) students are treated the same as employees !
for Health and Safety purposes. There is little we can do if they show up impaired for lectures unless they are disruptive, but then that is the same as what has always been in place for alcohol. But they would not generally be a hazard in lectures. By contrast, in lab settings, we would apply the fit for duty criterion, which legally trumps (lower-case t) the right to use pot. We (plan to) remove any student who is unfit on the grounds that they pose a hazard to themselves and others.

In my large organic class (500+), I did a clicker survey just before legalization, just to get the point across, and mainly to ensure non-users understood that we would protect them from their near neighbours no matter what:

Q. "I have the right to smoke cannabis on campus AND then go do my lab"

A. True/True B. True/False C. False/True D. False/False

Actually, more students got it than I expected, and certainly more than get my organic chem clicker questions!

Hope this tale helps.
Paul
________________________________________
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] on behalf of Wilhelm, Monique [mwilhelm**At_Symbol_Here**UMFLINT.EDU]
Sent: November 15, 2018 9:39 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Student Intoxication in Lab

Does anyone out there have any specific policies for being intoxicated in lab? Now that recreational marijuana has been legalized here, we are considering the ramifications in the chem teaching labs. Though I think a bigger concern is those who come doped up on other things. So, anything on any type of intoxication will do for me.

Thank you,

Monique
_________________________________________________________
Monique Wilhelm, M.S., NRCC Certified CHO
ACS CHAS Secretary|2017 CERM E. Ann Nalley Award Recipient
Laboratory Manager|Adjunct Lecturer|Chemistry Club Advisor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry|University of Michigan-Flint

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