Marijuana poses a far greater daily challenge to Fijian workplaces than high-profile hard drugs like methamphetamine, says Munro Leys Partner Jon Apted.
Mr Apted told attendees of the Fiji New Zealand and New Zealand Fiji Business Councils’2026 Joint Conference in Nadi on June 19 that despite intense media publicity surrounding meth,operational realities in Fiji told a different story.
“Meth is the big demon,” Mr Apted said. “But in my work experience, it’s marijuana use at or around work that is the most common workplace problem,” he said.
Mr Apted said he had never personally had to manage a workplace case involving methamphetamine.
By contrast, he has frequently advised employers dealing with workers consuming marijuana during breaks or immediately outside business boundaries.
He cited an incident where hotel workers tasked with cutting grass were filmed by colleagues while smoking marijuana, with the video later distributed widely among staff.
Mr Apted said the situation forced employers to balance productivity and safety concerns against complex, legally binding workers’ rights.
“When you employ somebody, that doesn’t give you the legal right to control their lives,” he said.
“It only gives you the right to control what they do that affects the performance of their job.”
