As legalization spreads, in a variety of forms, managers and workers are facing some tough questions about how the new laws impact policies and practices. Let's take a look at how marijuana legalization is being handled in the workplace. First, here are a couple of things you should know.

Be sure you know your state's laws.

Regardless of your own personal feelings about marijuana, It's important to stay current on the state of the drug laws in your area, as well as your company's individual policies on drug use — especially if you're a manager. Keeping up to date with policies, whether you agree with them or not, is a crucial first step to understanding the way the changes impact your company and your team.

The popular explanation for medical marijuana dispensaries that have popped up in states from Washington to New York is that marijuana is a wonder drug — treating not just nausea and lack of appetite, but also pain, anxiety, epileptic seizures, and the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

The federal government refuses to allow people to use it, proponents say. 

The story, however, isn’t quite so simple.

Brett Levin via Flickr The chances of a successful marijuana-legalization initiative in Arizona for 2016 appear to have diminished due to fighting among two competing political groups.

As we reported on March 27, the Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona was surprised by the sudden launch of a competing 2016 campaign by their chairperson, Dr. Gina Berman.

A leaked online survey shows that a coalition of Arizona medical-marijuana dispensaries are backing Berman's group.

PHOENIX — The right of patients to smoke marijuana recommended by a doctor for medical conditions cannot be taken away by a judge, even if the person has been convicted of a crime, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

In a pair of unanimous decisions, the justices rejected arguments by prosecutors in two separate cases that denying someone the ability to use medical marijuana is a legitimate condition for probation. Justice Ann Scott Timmer, writing one of the rulings, said that ignores the wishes of voters when they approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010.

Justice Rebecca Berch, writing the other, not only reached the same conclusion but rejected arguments by Cochise County prosecutors that federal marijuana laws preempt what voters enacted.

Workers’ compensation carriers and self-insurers will not be required to pay for a patient’s medical marijuana under a new bill Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Monday.

The state’s more than 63,000 holders of medical marijuana cards will still be allowed to purchase their own cannabis, but the law removes the requirement that workers’ compensation carriers and self-insurers reimburse patients for medical marijuana.

The law is similar to protections already in place for federal and private insurers under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act.

The Arizona Supreme Court has issued two rules banning courts and prosecutors from denying marijuana use as a term of probation if the convicted felons have valid medical marijuana cards.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday issued two rulings banning courts and prosecutors from denying marijuana use as a term of probation if the convicted felons have valid medical marijuana cards.

In one case, a man convicted of possessing marijuana for sale in Cochise County was forbidden from using marijuana by a probation officer after he was released from prison.

In the second, a woman pleading guilty to DUI in Yavapai County refused to accept abstention from marijuana as a term of probation, prompting the prosecution to withdraw the plea agreement.

This ain’t your dad’s seedy dope den.

Illustrating the rapid professionalization of the cannabis industry thanks to its legalization, the Minerva Canna Group dispensary project in Albuqueque, NM and its interior designer Megan Stone — head of The High Road Design Studio — just took top honors in the Designer Dozen Award by Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine (VMSD). The Designer Dozen award showcases the best and brightest emerging retail designers under 35.

Medical marijuana cardholders in Arizona could see changes in the way edible products are labeled.

The state created a $58,000 contract with the Coconino County Public Health Services District focused on studying how to strengthen the packing, labeling and storage of edible products. A survey was distributed to patients at dispensaries across the state to gauge their level of education about medical marijuana and how they use it.

The concern is the threat of a patient overdose from consuming edible products like cookies, brownies and cakes. Current state law requires the amount, strain, and batch number of medical marijuana as well as a warning label.

Guam's public health department will hold an informal meeting next week to discuss ideas for the island's medical marijuana program.

The meeting will be held at Sen. Tina Muña Barnes' office at 2 p.m. April 10. The public can attend the meeting but won't be involved in the discussion.

In November, voters approved legalizing the use of marijuana for the treatment of certain medical conditions, making Guam the first U.S. territory to legalize medical marijuana. The drug remains a Schedule I controlled substance under local and federal law.

The Department of Public Health and Social Services, the lead agency tasked with developing guidelines and regulations under the law, has less than five months to submit rules and regulations to the Guam Legislature.

Story Highlights

• The director of a group behind an initiative to legalize pot in Arizona threatened to target a marijuana dispensary medical director who joined a competing legalization effort.
• The influential Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project and the newly created Arizonans for Responsible Legalization have both said they will pursue initiatives in 2016.
• The documents shed light on conflicting philosophies behind the proposed ballot measures.

The director of a group behind an initiative to legalize pot in Arizona threatened to target the business affairs of a marijuana dispensary medical director who joined a competing legalization effort, documents obtained by The Arizona Republic show.