Last week, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana for injured employees is not covered by workers’ compensation due to the fact that the drug is currently illegal under federal law.
The issue was elevated to the state’s highest court after the state Workers Compensation Court of Appeals ruled that employers were required to pay for medical marijuana to treat work-related injuries. Even though medical marijuana is legal at the state level in Minnesota, the drug remains illegal at the federal level.
The majority of justices ruled that because federal law prohibits the prescribing and possession of marijuana regardless of the state laws, employers should not be required to pay for medical cannabis for the treatment of an injured worker. The Minnesota Supreme Court also said it would like to see if Congress would ever pass legislation that helps to resolve disagreements between state and federal laws.
Not All Agree
However, not all state Supreme Court justices agreed with the majority ruling. Associate Justice Margaret Chutih wrote a pair of dissents. Not only did she say that the majority ruling unjustly prevents injured workers who suffer from intractable pain from receiving the relief that medical cannabis can bring, she also argued that the ruling goes against the Legislature’s goal in regards to the workers’ compensation system, which is to deliver medical benefits to injured workers at a reasonable cost to employers.
While it’s not the ruling that we were hoping for, the ruling only puts heightened importance on connecting with the right team if you suffer an on the job injury. You need a lawyer who will go to work for you and help you receive the biggest award possible, and you need a caring physician who will provide an accurate diagnosis and go the extra mile to ensure you get the right treatment for your injuries.
At Hey Workers, we’re confident that we can help with both of the above aspects. We’ll work hard to develop a strong injury claim and push for quick and extensive injury benefits, and we have worked with a wide-range of medical professionals throughout our career, so we know which providers always put the patient first. We’d be happy to connect you with a trusted physician who will do everything in their power to find a solution to your pain, even if it appears that the treatment won’t involve employer-provided medical marijuana.
So if you’d like to learn more about how we can help you secure workers’ compensation after a work injury, or if you’d just like more information about trusted physicians who can provide an independent medical exam, give the team at Hey Workers a call today at (844) 439-9675.
