Join Palmetto SHRM, Coastal Organization of HR (Myrtle Beach) and the Lowcountry HR Association (Hilton Head) virtually for this encore presentation! Due to limited space, this event is for members only at this time. 

Although medical and recreational marijuana remains illegal in South Carolina, with 38 states legalizing both, as well as the rise of legalized Delta-8 and Delta-9, employers have numerous considerations and obligations when it comes to an employee who tests positive for THC.   What if an employee is prescribed CBD from their doctor for a disability?  What if an employee tests positive for THC after a Colorado vacation the prior weekend—do I terminate them? Despite the current status of marijuana in South Carolina, employers are having to answer these types of questions regularly.  This presentation will shed some light on the issues currently facing SC employers and will include an overview of federal law and relevant state marijuana laws affecting employment, employee drug testing implications and concerns, and your duties as an employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other state laws.   

Presented by:
Melissa Fried Spence, Esq. 

https://www.butlersnow.com/professionals/melissa-spence
Melissa Fried Spence, a member of Butler Snow’s Labor & Employment practice group, has 14 years of legal experience building proactive strategies that help clients avoid long and protracted legal disputes involving a variety of labor and employment matters. She has negotiated and tried numerous cases to verdict, representing clients in a wide range of industries, and has represented clients before the South Carolina state and district courts, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, and South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.

Spence has been recognized for her exemplary work and commitment to the Charleston community with inclusion in the Charleston Regional Business Journal ‘Forty under 40’ list in 2020. She was listed as One to Watch by Best Lawyers in America® for Labor and Employment Law – Management in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 editions as well as for Employment Law - Litigation in 2023. She was also named a South Carolina Rising Stars honoree from 2016 to 2019 and is a graduate of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Charleston Class of 2019.

Spence holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Wofford College and a Juris Doctorate with honors from Charleston School of Law. In her spare time, she serves as Membership VP on the Palmetto Society for Human Resource Management board, board member for the Charleston Legal Access, and is on the executive council for the employment and labor law.