Louisville Firefighters’ Union Seeks Injunction to Allow Medical Marijuana Use Off-Duty
The union representing Louisville firefighters has filed an injunction in Jefferson County Circuit Court to allow its members to use medical marijuana off-duty. The move comes after the city’s fire department chief, Brian O’Neill, announced that the department would continue to prohibit the use of marijuana by employees, despite the state’s new medical marijuana law taking effect on January 1.
The Louisville Professional Firefighters Local 54 union filed a grievance with the city and the fire department after the chief’s decision, and an independent arbitrator will ultimately decide the outcome. However, the union has also filed an injunction to prevent members from being disciplined for using medical cannabis during the grievance process.
The union’s president, Jeff Taylor, estimates that the grievance process could take six months to a year. He believes that the union’s collective bargaining agreement, negotiated last year, protects its members’ right to access medical cannabis. The agreement includes a disciplinary policy for drug use, but Taylor argues that it does not supersede the rights of firefighters under federal and state constitutions or laws.
Taylor estimates that around half of the fire department’s nearly 500 members have applied for a medical cannabis card, citing the drug’s potential benefits in managing sleep disorders, pain, and stress and anxiety issues. He believes that medical cannabis should be treated like any other prescription medication and that firefighters should be allowed to use it off-duty to manage their medical conditions.
The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office has declined to comment on the pending litigation, but Taylor hopes to hear back about the injunction this week.