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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>78662</law_id><section_number>40.1-27.4</section_number><catch_line>Discipline for employee&amp;#8217;s medicinal use of cannabis oil prohibited</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="40.1">Labor and Employment</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Protection of Employees</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> As used in this section:
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Cannabis oil</span>&#x201D; means the same as that term is defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/4.1-1600/">4.1-1600</a>.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Employee</span>&#x201D; means the same as that term is defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/40.1-2/">40.1-2</a>, except that for the purposes of this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">employee</span>&#x201D; does not include any <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer, as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/9.1-101/">9.1-101</a>.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Employer</span>&#x201D; means the same as that term is defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/40.1-2/">40.1-2</a>, except that for the purposes of this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">employer</span>&#x201D; also includes the Commonwealth, any county, city, town, or other political subdivision thereof, and any agency of the Commonwealth or such county, city, town, or political subdivision. <a id="paragraph-281865" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/40.1-27.4/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> No <span class="dictionary">employer</span> shall discharge, discipline, or discriminate against an <span class="dictionary">employee</span> for such <span class="dictionary">employee</span>&#x2019;s lawful use of <span class="dictionary">cannabis oil</span> under the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of the Commonwealth pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner for the treatment or to eliminate the symptoms of the <span class="dictionary">employee</span>&#x2019;s diagnosed condition or disease pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Certification for use of cannabis for treatment" href="/4.1-1601/">4.1-1601</a>. <a id="paragraph-281866" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/40.1-27.4/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection B, nothing in this section shall (i) restrict an <span class="dictionary">employer</span>&#x2019;s ability to take any adverse employment action for any work impairment caused by the use of <span class="dictionary">cannabis oil</span> or to prohibit <span class="dictionary">possession</span> during work hours, (ii) require an <span class="dictionary">employer</span> to commit any act that would cause the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> to be in violation of federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> or that would result in the loss of a federal <span class="dictionary">contract</span> or federal funding, or (iii) require any defense industrial base sector <span class="dictionary">employer</span> or prospective <span class="dictionary">employer</span>, as defined by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to hire or retain any applicant or <span class="dictionary">employee</span> who tests positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in excess of 50 ng/ml for a urine test or 10 pg/mg for a hair test. <a id="paragraph-281867" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/40.1-27.4/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 395; 2023, cc. 740, 773; 2024, cc. 632, 674.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
