Since medical marijuana passed in Pennsylvania in 2016, only one labor union has come to an agreement with the city to allow employees to obtain medical marijuana cards: Pittsburgh firefighters.
That agreement was reached last month.
Ralph Sicuro, president of the Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Local No. 1, said the union advocated for access to medical marijuana because many firefighters suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a qualifying condition under the state's medical marijuana law. Sicuro said it can also serve as an alternative to opioids for firefighters who get injured.
"If we can reduce the potential for opioid addiction within our own group, I felt like that's something we needed to do," Sicuro said.