Let’s Teach WalMart A Lesson About Medical Marijuana

[Ganjarden]

It’s always fascinating to watch corporations flail about cluelessly while society is in the throes of epochal change. One has to go no farther than Starbucks for an example; their recent crash course in societal change involved incurring the wrath of marijuana users, as it turns out a sizeable portion of their target demographic. Starbucks only took a couple of days to come around after pot users threatened a national boycott after spotting the coffee giant’s logo on a virulently extremist anti-marijuana website.

Huge behemoths like Starbucks and WalMart exercise their corporate policies with the implicit assumption that American society as a whole is in their corner, philosophically speaking. Playing the middle of the road is just smart business, after all. Nobody gets rich by alienating huge groups of consumers.

But the interesting thing about social change is that sometimes the corporations get left in the dust. Starbucks was careful to make sure that didn’t happen; I’m betting WalMart may not be so smart, if its atrocious labor policies are an accurate marker.

During these periods of rapid and dizzying change – a perfect and current example being the huge shift in American attitudes toward marijuana — major corporations often reveal themselves to be big, dumb, lumbering beasts. That was exactly what WalMart, notorious for its corporate stance of social conservatism, looked like this week when it summarily sacked a cancer patient who had been “Associate of the Year” for using medical marijuana with his doctor’s recommendation – in Michigan, a state where that is perfectly legal. WalMart, so far at least, hasn’t budged. But the wave of revulsion and outrage over their treatment of Associate of the Year Joseph Casias hasn’t crested yet, and it’s going to get a lot bigger before it does.

For now, WalMart seems completely oblivious that what just a few years ago was solid political ground under its feet is simply no longer there. The ritual corporate shaming of marijuana and its users – extending even to legal, medical users – is now so disconnected from science, medicine and mass perception that we can only watch in horror as companies like WalMart mistreat employees, fully confident they’ll get away with it “just like they always have.”

This moralistic and intolerant stance towards medical marijuana patients flies in the face of modern American sensibilities. More than 80 percent of Americans now support the medicinal use of pot.

Casias worked at the WalMart store in Battle Creek, Michigan, for five years, winning employee of the year in 2008 despite suffering from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. At the recommendation of his doctor, Casias began using medical marijuana to ease his pain. “It helps tremendously,” Casias said. “I only use it to stop the pain. To make me feel more comfortable and active as a person.” Then he sprained he knee at work last November.

During the routine drug screening that follows all workplace injuries, marijuana was detected in his system. Casias showed WalMart managers his Michigan medical marijuana card, but was fired anyway. “I was told they do not accept or honor my medical marijuana card,” Casias said.

Casias said he had never shown up at work after smoking pot. “No, I never came to work under the influence, ever,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair. Because I have a medical condition I can’t work and provide for my family?”

WalMart was completely unapologetic. “In states such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen,” said WalMart spokesman Greg Rossiter from company headquarters. “We believe our policy complies with the law, and we support decisions based on the policy,” Rossiter said.

Casias has been collecting unemployment compensation since getting sacked in November, but this week he got more bad news: Now WalMart is even challenging his eligibility for benefits. So how do you teach a big, dumb beast? You hurt it in the only way it understands.

It’s time to teach WalMart that mistreating medical marijuana patients isn’t just dumb and cruel; it is also very, very bad for business. The national WalMart boycott by medical marijuana supporters begins in 5… 4… 3…


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Author: Steve Elliott
Contact: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Copyright: 2010 NEWS JUNKIE POST
Website: Let’s Teach WalMart A Lesson About Medical Marijuana

[User]

i stopped shopping at walmart about 2 years ago. everytime i went in there i felt guilty because i knew i was saving a bit of change but supporting corporate actions and policies around the globe that went against what i believed in, and helping shut down local businesses. it wasn't my morals that finally made me stop shopping there. it was poor service and rude employee's. i thought i would miss the slightly lower prices on some things and the convienience but i don't. i've met small business owners that actually remember my name when i come into their stores. they actually know their inventory and can answer specific questions. best of all i don't hear that little voice when i cross the parking lot returning to my car telling me i've done something wrong.

What better time for Cannabis users to boycott walmart.
Try it, you might like it.

[XEric420X]

Don't worry, wallmarts business model is impossible to sustain due to the way the buy there items for so cheap. Eventually they will run out of suppliers who are able to sell for such cheap prices, and wallmart will have no one to buy from. Until this day happens, i will avoid wallmart too. I predict the next 5 years will be the biggest years for marijuana in history..

[Leary]

BOO!! WalMart makes me sick. Hooray for boycotting

[Bonehead]

I have never purchased anything from Wal Mart in my life. They are the epitome of corporate greed. You do not save money shopping at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is the worlds biggest retailer. They have well over one million employees and the company only provides healthcare for half of them. That means when they get sick they have to go to a county facility to get medical treatment. In 2003 California tax payers spent 17 million dollars for Wal Mart employees with no health insurance. Wal Mart can afford these benefits. Support your local stores where they provide a living wage, proper healthcare and some type of retirement.

[TheCriMsonK20]

I stopped shopping at Starbucks completely since their anti-cannabis involvement.. Since they have reversed their stance, I still won't do business with them. Their views in the first place were to support the anti-cannabis movement, and only retracted it because of fear of loss of business.. They had those ideas in the first place, and only changed them for selfish reasons, not because their views on Cannabis changed.

I stopped shopping at WalMart over a year ago, and haven't been happier.. Every time I would go into their store, I would get so frustrated with the people that were there, and their lack of selection. At the time, WalMart was the only place near me to shop, and I watched as they limited their selection of goods.. Before long, they had nothing worth buying, and although their prices are sometimes cheaper, I've actually found things cheaper at places like Target than at WalMart.

I did a lot of research on what WalMart does to the global economy and formed my decision to never do business with them again based on their lack of global morality. This incident only enforces my stance.

As mentioned above, shopping at small businesses makes for a much better experience. The prices may be a bit higher at times, but honestly, I haven't noticed any change in my lifestyle since I stopped shopping at WalMart. If anything, my lifestyle has improved because the quality of goods and services I am receiving is much higher than before.

I hope WalMart burns to the ground.

[Slowpuffer]

Originally Posted by Ganjarden

It’s always fascinating to watch corporations flail about cluelessly while society is in the throes of epochal change. One has to go no farther than Starbucks for an example; their recent crash course in societal change involved incurring the wrath of marijuana users, as it turns out a sizeable portion of their target demographic. Starbucks only took a couple of days to come around after pot users threatened a national boycott after spotting the coffee giant’s logo on a virulently extremist anti-marijuana website.

Huge behemoths like Starbucks and WalMart exercise their corporate policies with the implicit assumption that American society as a whole is in their corner, philosophically speaking. Playing the middle of the road is just smart business, after all. Nobody gets rich by alienating huge groups of consumers.

But the interesting thing about social change is that sometimes the corporations get left in the dust. Starbucks was careful to make sure that didn’t happen; I’m betting WalMart may not be so smart, if its atrocious labor policies are an accurate marker.

During these periods of rapid and dizzying change – a perfect and current example being the huge shift in American attitudes toward marijuana — major corporations often reveal themselves to be big, dumb, lumbering beasts. That was exactly what WalMart, notorious for its corporate stance of social conservatism, looked like this week when it summarily sacked a cancer patient who had been “Associate of the Year” for using medical marijuana with his doctor’s recommendation – in Michigan, a state where that is perfectly legal. WalMart, so far at least, hasn’t budged. But the wave of revulsion and outrage over their treatment of Associate of the Year Joseph Casias hasn’t crested yet, and it’s going to get a lot bigger before it does.

For now, WalMart seems completely oblivious that what just a few years ago was solid political ground under its feet is simply no longer there. The ritual corporate shaming of marijuana and its users – extending even to legal, medical users – is now so disconnected from science, medicine and mass perception that we can only watch in horror as companies like WalMart mistreat employees, fully confident they’ll get away with it “just like they always have.”

This moralistic and intolerant stance towards medical marijuana patients flies in the face of modern American sensibilities. More than 80 percent of Americans now support the medicinal use of pot.

Casias worked at the WalMart store in Battle Creek, Michigan, for five years, winning employee of the year in 2008 despite suffering from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. At the recommendation of his doctor, Casias began using medical marijuana to ease his pain. “It helps tremendously,” Casias said. “I only use it to stop the pain. To make me feel more comfortable and active as a person.” Then he sprained he knee at work last November.

During the routine drug screening that follows all workplace injuries, marijuana was detected in his system. Casias showed WalMart managers his Michigan medical marijuana card, but was fired anyway. “I was told they do not accept or honor my medical marijuana card,” Casias said.

Casias said he had never shown up at work after smoking pot. “No, I never came to work under the influence, ever,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair. Because I have a medical condition I can’t work and provide for my family?”

WalMart was completely unapologetic. “In states such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen,” said WalMart spokesman Greg Rossiter from company headquarters. “We believe our policy complies with the law, and we support decisions based on the policy,” Rossiter said.

Casias has been collecting unemployment compensation since getting sacked in November, but this week he got more bad news: Now WalMart is even challenging his eligibility for benefits. So how do you teach a big, dumb beast? You hurt it in the only way it understands.

It’s time to teach WalMart that mistreating medical marijuana patients isn’t just dumb and cruel; it is also very, very bad for business. The national WalMart boycott by medical marijuana supporters begins in 5… 4… 3…


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Author: Steve Elliott
Contact: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Copyright: 2010 NEWS JUNKIE POST
Website: Let’s Teach WalMart A Lesson About Medical Marijuana

I would have an easier time getting on board, if you was talking about wal-marts policy as it pertains to all people, not just mmj patients. How about the rest of society ?? About time the big corps. know the truth. And stop playing the slavemaster role !! I mean, what the f--k, a person can't work at wally world, if they test pos. for mj !! O.K. then, that illimanates only like 1/2 the population !! Ha !! Just tell me a period to boy-cot wally world, and sanction it at 420 mag., and lets get er done !! We can do without wal-mart for a couple weeks, or longer if need be, but that would show them how many we really represent !! All they understand is the almighty $$ bill !! What I don't get, all this drug testing started for public safety, so what is the safety issue with running a cash resister at wal-mart !! My community is considering building a super wal-mart close to me, and the citizens don't want it !! Pisses me off !! Just let me know what and when you want me to do it !! I'll walk that picket line !! But not for just mmj patients, but for all of us !!

[TheCriMsonK20]

thats generally the views.. People don't want walmart to come into their area because it will drive out everything else. I've heard that so many times from so many people

[Weed420]

For us poor people start the boycott by using another discount store like Kmart or Target. That way we can still buy our cheap shit, we just won't buy it at walmart.
Its a good start. There's enough of us out there now that if we did just this one simple thing it would effect walmarts bottom line. And if we effect that changes can happen.

[Cateros]

Originally Posted by Ganjarden

It’s always fascinating to watch corporations flail about cluelessly while society is in the throes of epochal change. One has to go no farther than Starbucks for an example; their recent crash course in societal change involved incurring the wrath of marijuana users, as it turns out a sizeable portion of their target demographic. Starbucks only took a couple of days to come around after pot users threatened a national boycott after spotting the coffee giant’s logo on a virulently extremist anti-marijuana website.

Huge behemoths like Starbucks and WalMart exercise their corporate policies with the implicit assumption that American society as a whole is in their corner, philosophically speaking. Playing the middle of the road is just smart business, after all. Nobody gets rich by alienating huge groups of consumers.

But the interesting thing about social change is that sometimes the corporations get left in the dust. Starbucks was careful to make sure that didn’t happen; I’m betting WalMart may not be so smart, if its atrocious labor policies are an accurate marker.

During these periods of rapid and dizzying change – a perfect and current example being the huge shift in American attitudes toward marijuana — major corporations often reveal themselves to be big, dumb, lumbering beasts. That was exactly what WalMart, notorious for its corporate stance of social conservatism, looked like this week when it summarily sacked a cancer patient who had been “Associate of the Year” for using medical marijuana with his doctor’s recommendation – in Michigan, a state where that is perfectly legal. WalMart, so far at least, hasn’t budged. But the wave of revulsion and outrage over their treatment of Associate of the Year Joseph Casias hasn’t crested yet, and it’s going to get a lot bigger before it does.

For now, WalMart seems completely oblivious that what just a few years ago was solid political ground under its feet is simply no longer there. The ritual corporate shaming of marijuana and its users – extending even to legal, medical users – is now so disconnected from science, medicine and mass perception that we can only watch in horror as companies like WalMart mistreat employees, fully confident they’ll get away with it “just like they always have.”

This moralistic and intolerant stance towards medical marijuana patients flies in the face of modern American sensibilities. More than 80 percent of Americans now support the medicinal use of pot.

Casias worked at the WalMart store in Battle Creek, Michigan, for five years, winning employee of the year in 2008 despite suffering from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. At the recommendation of his doctor, Casias began using medical marijuana to ease his pain. “It helps tremendously,” Casias said. “I only use it to stop the pain. To make me feel more comfortable and active as a person.” Then he sprained he knee at work last November.

During the routine drug screening that follows all workplace injuries, marijuana was detected in his system. Casias showed WalMart managers his Michigan medical marijuana card, but was fired anyway. “I was told they do not accept or honor my medical marijuana card,” Casias said.

Casias said he had never shown up at work after smoking pot. “No, I never came to work under the influence, ever,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair. Because I have a medical condition I can’t work and provide for my family?”

WalMart was completely unapologetic. “In states such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen,” said WalMart spokesman Greg Rossiter from company headquarters. “We believe our policy complies with the law, and we support decisions based on the policy,” Rossiter said.

Casias has been collecting unemployment compensation since getting sacked in November, but this week he got more bad news: Now WalMart is even challenging his eligibility for benefits. So how do you teach a big, dumb beast? You hurt it in the only way it understands.

It’s time to teach WalMart that mistreating medical marijuana patients isn’t just dumb and cruel; it is also very, very bad for business. The national WalMart boycott by medical marijuana supporters begins in 5… 4… 3…


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Author: Steve Elliott
Contact: NEWS JUNKIE POST
Copyright: 2010 NEWS JUNKIE POST
Website: Let’s Teach WalMart A Lesson About Medical Marijuana

Has there been any word of Possible North american Public protests outside walk-marts I think we should all consider organizing pickets outside wal-mart stores across north america and especially in canada where Medical marijuana is federally legal I am assuming there corporate policy doesnt extend to this country as I would assume it would be illegal here in canada for a licenced medical marijuana patient to be sacked seeing as it is a federally sanctioned medication.

[Oddnonsmoker]

Since this is turning into a FWSA (Former Walmart Shoppers Anonymous)meeting, then I might as well go ahead...

Hello. My name is Oddnonsmoker, and I've been completely sober of Walmart for three months, having only been within a Walmart superstore and not purchasing anything. Walmart started me on their cheap, environmentally degrading cotton jeans and T-shirts, but then I started becoming a more and more general shopper, admiring their low prices. But then I started noticing what Walmart was doing to its employees, as well as shrinking their merchandise selection. I've pledged myself to only buying from local small retail stores, and given the opportunity, I will buy more expensive hempen clothing rather than the cheaper cotton.

*Sits down.*

[CannaSunshine]

Here are a few resources to connect you to others who are already helping this tide of change around the Wal-mart arena:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wal-Mart Watch | Fighting for Wal-Mart Workers | Employee Free Choice Act

Blog: Wal-Mart Destroyed My Town and Then Left | Wal-Mart Watch | Fighting for Wal-Mart Workers | Employee Free Choice Act

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
link to MOVIE "Wal-mart -- The High Cost of Low Price"
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price
MANY Thousands of PAGES of information and connections to assist in the elimination of Wal-mart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
link to Book:
How Wal-Mart is destroying America (and the world) and what you can do about it By Bill Quinn
Revised Edition came out in 2005

Featuring "fight back" strategies, Quinn's original expose has been updated with new information. He says that dismantling the American dream wasn't enough for Wal-Mart, and that its recent acquisition of Britain's third-largest supermarket shows that the retail Goliath is now aiming for world domination.

How Wal-Mart is destroying America ... - Google Books

[Advillin]

I am new to this site and just wanted to comment on your article. I think you're a tremendous writer however I think you may have missed Wal-Mart's true evil. I don't believe the gentleman was fired for their drug policy. The medical expenses he is going to incur over the next several months and years is going to be staggering. I'm sure some district manager who got wind of this decided to cut costs by using their drug policy. He will probably get a promotion to a higher position for doing the right thing in the eyes of the Corporation. There is no more loyalty in corporate America. The society has changed to every man for himself and the new religion is money. If you're not hip to that then you will be run over. Just my thoughts but I bet I'm not far off the mark.
Advillin

[Cherma]

In 1570 - 1580 Coffee entered into one of many prohibition stages:
Coffee enjoyed a solid position in the trade market, and occasional coffee prohibitions
were sometimes enacted for the sake of the national economy.
The coffeehouses would then be closed down, and people were reduced to get their “fix”
in coffee “speak easies”, mostly always located on the second floor so the smell wouldn’t
give them away.
If you were caught, you might get a large fine or even a lashing!
There have been 5 coffee prohibitions in Sweden’s history, the longest for 5 years!
Coffee was first for sale at the pharmacy, and with good reason.
Nowadays we know that it stimulates the central nervous system, the heart, opens blood
vessels, increases the breathing rate and stimulates adrenalin flow.
It can also be addictive.
After all Coffee is a Plant

[Bonehead]

Originally Posted by Advillin

I am new to this site and just wanted to comment on your article. I think you're a tremendous writer however I think you may have missed Wal-Mart's true evil. I don't believe the gentleman was fired for their drug policy. The medical expenses he is going to incur over the next several months and years is going to be staggering. I'm sure some district manager who got wind of this decided to cut costs by using their drug policy.

There is a 50% chance that he didn't have any medical benefits provided by Wal Mart. He had a work related injury where they are automaticly forced to submit to a drug test. Although he came up positive for marijuana, he was probabaly told a generic reason why they let him go. Unless you have a binding contract, employees are "at will" meaning they can be terminated for anything or nothing. Come on, do you really need a drug test when you hurt yourself at work??? Apparently, big business thinks so.