MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER DOESN'T GET JOB BACK

HILLSBORO (AP) -- A five-member panel has ruled that a medical-marijuana
user who was fired from a county job after a drug arrest can't have her old
position back.

The Washington County Civil Service Commission, however, ruled that Alicia
Williamson, 47, should be rehired if she is cleared of felony drug charges
later this year.

Williamson qualified for California's medical marijuana program but never
applied in Oregon. A grand jury indicted Williamson in December of felony
drug charges for using, growing and distributing marijuana after police
found marijuana plants and seeds in her Gaston home last summer. A criminal
trial is set for December.

"Ms. Williamson showed poor judgment and was lackadaisical about something
important," said Diane Marra Williams, one of two commissioners who voted
against the firing.

County officials said Williamson was fired in February for being a
discredit to the county by committing illegal acts and lying about whether
she shared the marijuana.

Williamson, who was a management analyst for the county's information
technology services, was the first to tell her boss when she heard police
searched her home after spotting her plants in a flyover. The fact that
county officials knew about the search in August but didn't put Williamson
on paid leave until December troubled commissioners.

"If it's not a discredit for four months, then it's not a 'discredit enough
for her to lose her position," Williams said.

Commissioners scolded the county for lacking efficiency and suggested that
drug tests be required for all new employees. Currently, 20 percent of
county employees, criminal justice workers and those who need commercial
driver's licenses, are tested or given background checks.

Injured while riding horses competitively, Williamson has used marijuana
since she was 19 to ease migraines and muscle spasms. She has a doctor's
prescription and qualified for the California medical marijuana program in
1995.

Williamson said she shared the drug with chemotherapy patients and her
boyfriend but never sold or traded it.

After the police search, Williamson enrolled in the $150 Oregon Medical
Marijuana program.

"I wish now that I had filled out that paperwork sooner," Williamson said
Friday.


Pubdate: Tue, 16 Sep 2003
Source: Statesman Journal (OR)
Webpage: http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=67808
Copyright: 2003 Statesman Journal
Contact: letters@statesmanjournal.com
Website: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/