Maryland Senate Committee Advances Bill to Protect Fire and Rescue Workers Over Medical Marijuana Use
- The Maryland Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 439, which aims to protect fire and rescue public safety employees from workplace discrimination related to lawful medical marijuana use.
- The bill prohibits disciplining or firing employees solely for possessing medical marijuana certification or testing positive for cannabis if they hold a valid certification, and it covers firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and related professionals employed by various government entities.
- Employers would be forbidden from limiting or segregating employees based on medical marijuana use but retain the right to prohibit on-duty cannabis use and to act if an employee is impaired while working.
- The bill includes safeguards ensuring employers do not violate federal law or lose federal funding and requires reporting of on-duty impairment to the State Emergency Medical Services Board; it would take effect on October 1, 2026, if passed by the full Senate.
A Maryland bill that would shield fire and rescue public safety employees from workplace discrimination over lawful medical marijuana use was approved today by the Senate Finance Committee. Senate Bill 439, introduced by Senator Carl Jackson (D), is the Senate companion to House Bill 797, filed by Delegate Adrian Boafo (D). The proposal would prohibit an employer from disciplining, discharging, or otherwise discriminating against a fire and rescue public safety employee solely because they possess a valid written certification for medical marijuana or test positive for cannabis components or metabolites while holding that certification.
The legislation defines a “fire and rescue public safety employee” as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, cardiac rescue technician, or paramedic employed by a municipal corporation, county, the state, the State Airport Authority, or a fire control district.
Under the measure, employers would also be barred from limiting, segregating, or classifying employees in a way that would deprive them of employment opportunities due to lawful medical marijuana use.
At the same time, the bill includes explicit safeguards. It would not require an employer to violate federal law or risk losing federal monetary or licensing-related benefits. Employers would retain the authority to prohibit on-duty cannabis use and to prevent employees from performing their duties while impaired. If a covered employee reports to work impaired by cannabis, the employer would be required to notify the State Emergency Medical Services Board.
With Senate Finance Committee approval secured, the bill now heads to the full Senate as lawmakers consider whether to extend formal workplace protections to first responders who are registered medical marijuana patients while maintaining strict rules against on-duty impairment. If enacted, the proposal would take effect October 1, 2026.