ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The group representing companies operating on the Hibernia oil platform off the coast of Newfoundland has lost its court battle to fire an employee for using oil made from cannabidiol, a compound found in marijuana.
A ruling today from the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court dismisses an application by the Hibernia Platform Employers' Organization for judicial review of an arbitration decision overturning the employee's firing in 2021.
Justice Peter Browne says the arbitration decision last year to suspend the employee for three months instead of fire him was well reasoned and without error.
Browne's written ruling says the employee worked on the platform for 16 years and began using CBD oil in November 2020 to treat symptoms of colitis.
The document says he subsequently failed a drug test, and as a result was fired for allegedly violating the Hibernia employees' collective agreement.
CBD is extracted from cannabis and, unlike tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, it is not psychoactive.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2023.
The Canadian Press
