"For years now, workers' compensation carriers and employers who operate in states with legal marijuana have been dealing with a lot of uncertainty surrounding this issue," said John Kutner, the New Jersey-based chair of the cannabis and opioid industry team at Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby. "It's creating a lot of headaches for employers, specifically with regard to how each state is handling the issue differently." (Credit: Africa Studio/ADobe Stock) "For years now, workers' compensation carriers and employers who operate in states with legal marijuana have been dealing with a lot of uncertainty surrounding this issue," said John Kutner, the New Jersey-based chair of the cannabis and opioid industry team at Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby. "It's creating a lot of headaches for employers, specifically with regard to how each state is handling the issue differently." (Credit: Africa Studio/ADobe Stock)

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the solicitor general to weigh in on two petitions centered on the same issue: Does the federal prohibition of marijuana preempt state workers' compensation laws that require employers to pay for injured workers' medical marijuana?

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Cheryl Miller

Cheryl Miller, based in Sacramento, covers the state legislature and emerging industries, including autonomous vehicles and marijuana. She authors the weekly cannabis newsletter Higher Law. Contact her at [email protected]. On Twitter: @CapitalAccounts

Workers' Comp