While the whole country is watching Washington State and Colorado to see how their laws legalizing marijuana work out, the federal government still considers pot to be an illegal substance and employers are caught in the middle. Should they follow federal or state law? Do workers know they can still be fired for lighting up, even if it's off the job? It happened to a quadriplegic man using medical marijuana at home for his pain. Even before Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use, Brandon Coats had permission to use medical marijuana to alleviate pain. During the day, he worked as a customer service representative, and when his employers announced that employees would be drug-tested, he was honest about his home use of medicinal cannabis. Yet, when he tested positive, Dish Network fired him. Is his case a cautionary tale?
Marijuana Can Get You Fired -- Even When It's Legal
Credits
Guests:
- John Ingold - Denver Post - @john_ingold
- Andrew Cohen - senior editor at The Marshall Project, and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice - @JustADCohen
- Curtis Graves - Mountain States Employers Council - @msecLegal
- Roger Roffman - University of Washington - @uwsocialwork