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From YouTube: Councilwoman Parker on Creating Workplace Guidelines for Medical Marijuana Patients 3-15-2018
Description
From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, March 15, 2018:
Councilwoman Cherelle Parker (9th District) discusses the work of Council's Committee on Labor and Civil Service to develop workplace guidelines for medical marijuana patients in light of Pennsylvania;s Medical Marijuana Act of 2016.
A
Cheer
recognize
Councilwoman,
Parker,
Thank
You.
Mr.
president,
speaking
of
unintended
consequences,
I
want
to
take
this
opportunity
to
thank
my
colleagues
who
are
members
of
City
Council's
Committee
on
labor
and
service
for
attending
yesterday's
hearing
regarding
the
impact
of
medical
marijuana
on
employment
in
Philadelphia.
That
would
be
vice-chairman,
councilman
O'neill
members,
henan
quinones
sanchez
haben,
berger
dom.
Mr.
A
president,
while
we
heard
some
insightful
testimony
from
the
business
community,
the
legal
community,
the
medical
community,
the
labor
community
and
our
district
attorney's
office
along
with
other
city
officials,
it
is
clear
that
there
is
a
host
of
potential
unintended
consequences
that
this
legislation
could
have
on
not
only
employers
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
but
employees
just
for
the
record,
mr.
speaker,
mr.
speaker,
I'm
getting
rid
of
it,
and
that's
only
because
you
told
me
we're
going
mr.
A
president,
just
the
thought-
and
this
is
just
from
information
and
data
that
we
gathered
yesterday-
that
someone
might
not
be
eligible
to
be
a
caregiver.
We
had
no
idea.
This
was
an
issue
for
their
loved
one
because
of
a
previous
conviction
is
troubling
the
notion
that
a
medical
marijuana
patient
could
be
fired
from
their
job
for
failing
a
drug
test
is
equally
disturbing.
A
In
addition
to
that,
and
this
comes
to
mind
because
of
a
recent
visit
to
Chops
Policy
Center,
its
policy
lad
that
the
notion
that
someone
suffering
from
PTSD
now
I
know
when
we
think
of
Pro
post-traumatic
stress
disorder.
Many
of
us
just
think
military,
but
now
because
gun
violence
and
mullets
overall
is,
is
also
beginning
to
be
treated
as
a
public
health
crisis.
A
In
addition
to
that,
we
learned
that,
let's
just
think
about
a
50
year
old,
who
is
a
successful
businessperson,
who
has
led
an
exemplary
life
for
decades,
that
they
automatically
become
disqualified
from
working
in
the
medical
marijuana
industry,
because
he
or
she
attended
a
concert
thirty
years
earlier
and
smoked.
The
joint
is
short-sighted.
In
addition
to
that,
mr.
president,
I
want
to
know
for
the
record
that
I'm
glad
that
our
that
our
hearing
highlighted
some
of
those
concerns
and
brought
them
to
public
light.
A
I
also
want
to
a
note
for
the
record
that
one
of
the
things
we
talked
about
doing
and
we've
already
began
to
put
things
in
motion-
was
to
get
the
private
sector
to
work
with
us
so
that
we
can
begin
to
develop
a
public
education
campaign
for
both
employees
and
employers.
So
they
not
only
know
their
rights,
but
they
know
the
risk.
Mr.
president,
because
the
information
is
knowing
the
information
and
having
it
is
half
the
battle
and
we're
gonna
work
to
make
this
happen.
A
But
it
is
also
our
hope,
and
we
were
very
encouraged
by
the
olive
branch
as
we
received
from
the
private
sector
and
noting
that
they
understood
our
interests
and
seeing
them
not
government,
but
the
private
sector
helped
to
drive
the
process
and
lead
and
hopefully
come
up
with
a
set
of
guidelines
for
employees
who
are
in
the
private
sector.
Now
relative
to
our
own
27,000
municipal
employees.
We
will
be
working
mr.
A
president,
with
our
executive
office,
along
with
our
counsel
team,
also
staffs
and
our
unions
representing
municipal
workers,
and
we
will
be
working
on
coming
up
with
a
rubric
and
a
legislative
prescription,
if
necessary
and
applicable,
to
ensure
that
the
city
of
Philadelphia
is
a
model
employer
and
that
we
do
everything
we
can
to
protect
municipal
employees.
Who
would
also
happen
to
be
medical
marijuana
patients.
A
So
even
whatever
action
we
move
forward
with
districts
and
people
across
the
city,
don't
get
negatively
impacted
by
any
unintended
consequences.
Thank
you
for
your
patience.
Mr.
president
and
I
also
want
to
say-
and
many
of
you
may
know
this
lady
on
another
issue-
I
want
to
send
a
special
prayer
to
my
good
friend
and
former
member
of
the
Pennsylvania
General
Assembly,
and
that
is
Mike
Gerber.
Who
is
an
attorney
and
business
person
here
in
the
city?
A
But
while
we
were
here,
I
received
the
text
message
saying
that
penny
Gerber
passed
away
now,
while
the
Gerber
family
was
very
active
in
Montgomery
County
of
Councilwoman
Reynolds
Brown,
when
you
think
about
trailblazers
like
our
Gustav
Clark
and
Mary
Ann
tasco
women
like
Colleen,
Alexander
and
Penny,
penny
Gerber
were
laying
the
foundation
in
the
suburbs
so
that
women
could
have
a
seat
at
the
table.
Council
Blackwell
relative
to
politics,
and
so
a
friend
of
mine
just
sent
me
this
message
saying
that
penny
Gerber
was
a
special
lady.
A
She
was
tough
and
graceful,
forceful
and
warm
and
she
never
backed
down.
She
was
one
of
the
first
women
to
go
through
chases
banking
program
in
the
1960s
when
there
were
no
women
on
Wall
Street,
she
was
the
CEO
of
a
Teamsters
Union
eyes,
transportation
company
and
in
her
final
years,
was
totally
engaged
in
politics.
And,
mr.
A
president,
if
you
know
Montgomery
pilot
Montgomery,
County
politics,
sometimes
she
as
the
vice
chair,
appeared
the
wheel
more
influence
than
even
the
male
chairman,
so
special
Prager
sent
to
Mike,
Gerber
and
all
of
his
family,
and
we
will
continue
to
remember
the
legacy
of
Miss
penny
Gerber
Thank
You.
Mr.
president,
Thank
You
Councilwoman.