Meeting Minutes — Torch Club of the Fox Valley

12 September 2019

Notes taken by: Mary Flanagan.

Attendees: Sue Bennett, Nancy Bodway, Terri Daugherty, Mary Flanagan, Paul Freiberg, Erik Hanson, Walt Hedges, Barb Kelly, Bill Kelly, Mary Poulson, Kris Stahl, Peter Thiel, Scott Valitchka

BUSINESS MEETING

Paul called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm.

The 5/9/2019 minutes were motioned, seconded, and approved.

Treasurer’s report: Barb reported that after deducting $301.72 for the Magical Mystery Tour expenses and $75 for Helen Thiel’s memorial books there is $2,459.66 in our account which is about the same as last year at this time. The report was motioned, seconded, and accepted.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Barb told us that Jean Jepson is back at Rennes Health & Rehab Center and welcomes visitors.

Paul announced that unfortunately Cam Maurice, Jim Baumbach, and Katie Shaw have decided to resign from Torch for various reasons. All will be greatly missed. Barb noted that they are all still members through December and suggested we encourage them to attend again if we get the chance.

The Magical Mystery Tour organized by Jude, Karen, and Sue was held on July 13. Our group first toured The Automobile Gallery in Green Bay where we saw beautifully restored cars from all eras dating from 1917 to the present. After lunch we enjoyed a wine tasting at the Captain’s Walk Winery.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mary Paulson announced that the Noonhour Philosophers will be starting again this season on October 2 with Carissa Giebel presenting “Estate Planning and Beyond” at First English Lutheran Church. She is founder and attorney for the Legacy Law Group.

The following Wednesday, October 9, the speaker will be Roberta Albrecht, formerly professor at Concordia College in New York. Her topic is: “The Spiritual Philosophy of Ramon Llull (1232-1316), Missionary to the Saracens and Jews.” A complete list of programs will be available in the Post Crescent.

Scott announced that Joyce Scott will be here for four days next week. Joyce is an African-American artist, sculptor, quilter, performance artist, installation artist, print-maker, lecturer and educator. She was recognized in 2016 as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow and named a Smithsonian Visionary Artist in 2019. Her work is included in the current exhibition, “Reflecting Perspectives: Artists Confront Issues of Diversity and Inclusion,” at Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass. Several activities are planned during her visit. For a list of them see: https://bmmglass.com/events/cat_ids~43/.

Paul announced that Toastmasters will be holding their October 15 meeting at Touchmark in the chapel. Toastmasters helps members improve both their communication and leadership skills.

Paul thanked the Barb and Bill for once again hosting a wonderful summer party at their home and garden on August 8.

The business meeting was adjourned at 6:46 pm.

PRESENTATION

At 7:30 Terri presented: “What to do about weed at work”

Marijuana has become a complex workplace issue.

The view that there is not a great risk associated with smoking marijuana a few times a week comes at a time when the drug is more potent than ever. The active ingredient in marijuana, which causes the drug’s high, is THC. THC content in marijuana has increased greatly since the 1970s when it was about 1 percent. Today, hundreds of different strains of the drug are grown. A study from the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration found the potency in 2014 to be about 12 percent. However, some strains are advertised as having a potency of 27 to 30 percent THC.

There are also new ways to ingest marijuana, in addition to smoking the drug as a hand-rolled cigarette. It can be smoked in vape pens. A concentrate of butane hash oil often known as dabs, wax, or shatter may be used. There are edibles, including gummy candies, brownies, cookies, and drinks. Companies are also developing marijuana strips similar to breath strips. They will provide the marijuana high, without the smoke or smell of the drug.

The most recent survey on drug use and health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association shows that 60 percent of people don’t think it’s risky to use marijuana once or twice a week. When you’re looking at the 18 to 25-year-old age group, that increases to 80 percent.

Studies are showing that marijuana is not perceived to be as risky as it once was. A 2005 University of Michigan study found that 58 percent of high school seniors viewed marijuana use as risky. The 2015 study from SAMHSA found that 27 percent of 16 and 17-year-olds view marijuana use as risky. Given the changing attitudes toward the drug, employees may not be aware that marijuana could have a negative impact on their workplace performance.

It’s still considered an illegal drug in Wisconsin and on the federal level. We are surrounded by states that have legalized some form of marijuana.

When we look at the types of illegal drugs that are being used, we see that marijuana is far and away the most common. It’s used by almost 10 percent of people in the United States, or about 26 million Americans. Opioids, which includes the use of heroin and the misuse of prescription pain relievers, are used by a little over 1 percent of those in the U.S., and the next most commonly used drugs are cocaine, hallucinogens, meth, and inhalants.

When we look at marijuana use over the past 15 years or so, we can see that it’s gone up quite dramatically. The 2018 survey shows that 10.1 percent of people have used marijuana in the past year. When you break it down by age group, it’s 6.7 percent of those age 12 to 17, 22 percent of those 18 to 25, and 8.6 percent of those 26 or older.

We’re a little below the national average in Wisconsin. A little over 9 percent engaged in illegal drug use and about 8 percent using marijuana. However, our alcohol use is above average.

Recent use brings impairment and can be a safety issue at work due to problems with memory, attention, problem-solving and decision making. In addition, it can lead to distorted perception, and an increased risk of accidents and injuries. In some people, marijuana brings on feelings of anxiety or depression. All these are good reasons to prohibit marijuana use in the workplace and to prohibit employees from being impaired by the drug. The issue of off-duty use of marijuana is a bit hazier. While significant impairments are usually present for at least 1 to 2 hours following use of the drug, residual effects have been reported up to 24 hours after use.

That leads us to a big question with marijuana – can you use a drug test to show impairment? While significant impairments are usually present for at least 1 to 2 hours following use of the drug, residual effects have been reported up to 24 hours after use. The degree of impairment depends on a number of factors, including the way in which the drug is ingested – it could be smoked, mixed into food or drinks, or vaped, for example. The metabolism of the person who is using it also makes an impact on impairment. A person’s weight, body composition, and how often they use marijuana all make an impact.

A drug test can’t measure the way someone is feeling or acting. It can only show whether or not certain chemicals are present in a person’s body. The test detect whether a chemical’s metabolites are in a person’s system. If we take “high” to mean that a person has drugs in their system, then a drug test can show that. However, the test doesn’t necessarily show that a person is impaired by the drug. The test shows that the drug has been used but does not necessarily indicate anything about the effect the drug is having.

The active ingredient in marijuana is THC, which has a half life of less than 30 minutes in blood. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report in May which concluded that the presence of THC in the blood is not a consistent predictor of impairment. In addition, THC itself cannot be detected in urine. That’s why drug tests look for THC metabolites in urine – the body converts THC into these metabolites in order to remove it from the body. These metabolites can be detected for days after cannabis is used.

Another concern is that marijuana affects people differently. One person may show little or no impairment at a THC level at which someone else shows a great degree of impairment.

One reason it is very difficult to link the level of impairment from THC to the amount of THC that’s measured in the body is because of the way the drug is metabolized. Marijuana is absorbed into the body’s tissues and is slowly released back into the bloodstream. It binds to body fat, and this increases the amount of time it takes to eliminate it from the body.
Cannabis has a long half-life in humans, and a person may test positive for the drug days or weeks after it is used. A person who uses it for the first time may test positive for about three days, while a chronic user may test positive for a month or longer after using the drug. A person’s feeling of being impaired does not necessarily occur when THC concentration in the blood is at the highest level.

In contrast, alcohol does nicely correlate with impairment. Alcohol is metabolized at a steady rate and is absorbed by the body differently than marijuana. Research has shown that a person who has a certain level of alcohol in the body is impaired to a certain degree. A breathalyzer test that estimates a person’s blood alcohol concentration, for example, is a reliable indicator of whether or not the person is impaired by alcohol.

We’re still waiting for a test that can show impairment from marijuana. It’s possible that an easily administered test that can detect THC could be developed, and this could show that an employee is under the influence at work, rather than simply that the drug was used at some time in the past month or so. Until this is developed, a positive drug test for marijuana indicates recent use, not necessarily whether or not someone is high.

Marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law. It is a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act which specifies that there is no accepted medical use and high potential for dependency. There have been petitions to reschedule it to a lower class, but these have been rejected.

In addition, the Department of Transportation does not allow the drivers it regulates to be under the influence of marijuana. If you have drivers subject to DOT drug tests, a positive test for marijuana is a positive test for an illegal drug.

Federal contractors are subject to the Drug Free Workplace Act, and must have a policy clearly prohibiting the manufacture, use, and distribution of controlled substances in the workplace and spell out the specific consequences of violating this policy.

Here in Wisconsin, a positive test for marijuana indicates that a person has used an illegal drug, as it is illegal here under both state and federal law. However, that’s not the case nationwide. The Department of Justice acknowledges that marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, but it has also given states leeway to enforce their own marijuana laws in situations that are outside the federal government’s primary enforcement efforts. This gives states the ability to oversee the legalization of medical or recreational marijuana. It’s now legal for medical use in 33 states and for recreational use in 10. A recent federal farm bill legalized hemp, making CBD products much more prevalent in all states and causing confusion.

While it’s challenging because states take different approaches regarding how an employer is supposed to treat medical marijuana users, an employer does have some protections in all states. An employer does not need to allow the drug to be used on the job or in the workplace – an employee does not need to be allowed to smoke marijuana in the break room, for example. In addition, employers do not need accept the use of medical marijuana as a reason to allow an employee to be impaired at work. Employees who are dozing off while on the job, or who are not able to pay attention to what they are doing cannot use a medical marijuana recommendation as an excuse for their behavior. If an employee is impaired at work, employers can and should take action.

That said, medical marijuana laws do contain some protections for the person who is using the drug. This is especially true of the newer medical marijuana laws. For example, in some states you cannot refuse to hire a person who has a medical marijuana card simply because they are a medical marijuana patient. That would be discrimination. In addition, some state laws prohibit discrimination against a person who uses the drug when they are not at work. A person who uses the drug when off-duty will still test positive for the drug, but because of the discrimination protection a negative employment action for that positive test would be risky. This leads us to the next protection, which is prohibiting the use of a positive drug test to prove that a person is impaired by marijuana.

Marijuana contains more than 100 cannabinoids, or chemical compounds that alter receptors in the brain. The primary cannabinoid in marijuana that causes the high is THC. THC is the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana. However, not all cannabinoids have psychoactive properties. Cannabidiol, or CBD, does not have psychoactive properties.

Hemp does not contain THC so CBD oil made from hemp should not contain THC, but CBD oil made from marijuana could contain THC.

CBD Problems:

1. Labeling is not well regulated.
2. Product could have more THC than the label claims
3. Claims on product labels could be misleading.
4. It can be unclear whether the CBD came from hemp or marijuana. A Cannabis plant with .3 percent or less THC is hemp. A cannabis plant with more than .3 percent THC is marijuana.
5. A CBD product could contain THC
6. Small amounts of THC could build up in the body to detectable levels. (THC is stored in fat tissue, and slowly released.)
7. Cannabis testing is not uniform. States test cannabis plants differently for THC – the closer you get to the flower, the more THC in the plant.
8. Not all states test products for THC content.
9. In a 2017 study published in JAMA 18 of 84 CBD products purchased on line had enough THC to cause intoxication or impairment.

A driver who tests positive for THC has tested positive for an illegal drug. A drug test looks for a compound created by the body when THC is metabolized. Hemp and marijuana look and smell the same. They are different names for the same genus (Cannabis) and species. The difference is that Hemp plants contain no more than 3 percent of THC, and Marijuana usually contains 5 to 20 percent THC.

Acceptance of marijuana will only continue to grow. Part of it is the taxation aspect. The other part is the medical acceptance if more studies show its benefits. If the Democrats go into the White House in 2020, there will likely be a push to reschedule marijuana and allow it to be used for medical purposes nationwide.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30.