Should workers’ comp cover medical marijuana? Feds to weigh in on growing issue

With states reaching different conclusions on the same question, the U.S. Supreme Court is now asking the top Justice Department lawyer to submit a brief.

The number of states where medical marijuana is permitted is nearing 40, with legal recreational cannabis also becoming more and more widespread. Nevertheless, the issue of workers’ medical marijuana compensation for injured employees is being approached from various angles, not unlike the United States’ patchwork of cannabis regulations.

The main setback in cases of employees seeking workers’ comp for medical cannabis expenses after being injured on the job is marijuana’s Schedule I status under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).