A lot of first responders are subjected to lots of drug testing, and the requirements may stop you from utilizing cannabis.  However, if you do use cannabis, it may disqualify you period from cannabis use in general. There are different regulations that are coming out regarding whether or not first responders are allowed to use medical cannabis.  The highest tier is of course, federal law. 

The government does ban using any drugs, including and also definitely involving cannabis, from being used while you’re a first responder.  You also are not allowed to not use firearms or own them while under the influence of cannabis as a cop.  Usually though, cannabis is an answer for cops who have medical conditions, and you may wonder what to do. 

At state levels, there are different rules, and most people have a zero tolerance policy for medical cannabis. Police officers and other personal in correction units are expected to make sure that they don’t consume cannabis while using a firearm, as this will impair things. 

Of the 38 places where marijuana is legalized, only five of them actually have laws that protect the employees in the event of if there is a chance of cannabis discovery. There are 21 states that protect patients that utilize cannabis from being terminated because they are a medical user. However, overall, the general consensus is that a police officer should never use cannabis while on the job. 

This is similar as well for both firefighters along with EMTs, and whether or not they can utilize cannabis. In some jurisdictions, the lawmakers within the state are considering whether or not medical cannabis holders can be using this, considering it to be a form of disability, which then lets it fall under the American Disability Act, and the protections then apply to the users, protecting them from termination that’s not awful. 

But the law doesn’t protect employees who are impaired via drug consumption within the workplace, nor does it protect any that are governed via the drug-free workplace act that occurred in 1988. 

The ability for someone to respond to emergencies is definitely a challenge for off-duty EMTs or firefighters, as they can suddenly be called to handle something, but they’re impaired by cannabis, which is a major problem for many of the people that are possibly looking to be an EMT. 

It’s important as well that if you are driving too, you’re not under the influence as there are a lot of times where, if you operate machinery within the job, and if you’re high, it’s a big issue. 

There are some places where cannabis use, or if you have an MMJ card, it doesn’t disqualify you. Chicago for example actually stopped looking at the marijuana history of anyone who joins, and this happened shortly after they legalized it. However, if there is a drug test that’s positive, the THC would definitely be grounds for possible disqualification from applying to the job. 

They don’t tolerate it in general, even when you’re not on duty. Outside of a couple of states that do have regulations that protect the person who is working if they’re off-duty, most states do not tolerate marijuana, so it’s best that, if you’re deciding to go into this, you should definitely be mindful, and make sure that if you are a medical marijuana user, you don’t join these jobs, as they are zero-tolerance, and will not allow you to join in most cases, so it’s better to look for other work, especially in the realm of possibly law enforcement or EMTs.