WA Supreme Court rules Workers can be fired over medical pot

mcwow

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The Washington Supreme Court says workers can be fired for legally using medical marijuana outside the workplace.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Medical marijuana patients can be fired from their jobs in Washington state even if they only use the drug outside the workplace, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Justices said in their 7-1 decision that state law does not provide any employment protections for medical marijuana users and does not require companies to accommodate those patients.

The ruling stems from a 2007 lawsuit by a woman who was fired from TeleTech Customer Care Management in 2006 after her pre-employment drug screen came back positive. She had told the company she was an authorized medical marijuana patient, but the company's drug policy did not make an exception for medical marijuana.

The woman is listed in court papers as Jane Roe to protect her identity.

State law only makes one reference to the workplace, saying that employers are not required to accommodate the use of medical marijuana on site. The woman argued that the law's wording implicitly requires employers to accommodate use outside the workplace.

Justices disagreed, saying in the majority opinion that "the language of (the law) is unambiguous – it does not regulate the conduct of a private employer or protect an employee from being discharged because of authorized medical marijuana use."

Justice Tom Chambers dissented, writing that it was unfortunate that Teletech's drug-screening policy doesn't take into consideration where the medical marijuana was used, whether it affects the employee's job performance or whether the company could accommodate an employee's medical use.

He said the case shows that legislators need to review the law.

"To that end, I urge the Legislature to thoughtfully review and improve the act," Chambers wrote.

Attorneys for both sides did not immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday.
 
Its a shame. Just means patients need to educate themselves on how easy it is to beat drug tests. This is the wonderful thing about living with facism, it teaches you how to become a criminal. Our unconstitutional laws are making criminals of us all.
 
The jerks who sit at the supreme court are kangaroos and trogolodytes. And criminals, for crapping on the Constitutional rights of our citizens.
 
nothing changes except the state can and will tax you to death until the feds raid your operation and then they will turn a blind eye to the situation. The "legal limit" is so low you can get busted by being in a room where friends were smoking
 
nothing changes except the state can and will tax you to death until the feds raid your operation and then they will turn a blind eye to the situation. The "legal limit" is so low you can get busted by being in a room where friends were smoking
And what people don't realise is pot was legal up until the early 70's. Cops never cared. You could be parked smoking a fatty and cops would just talk to you and sometimes take a hit or 2 themselves. Pot never caused a single problem in the 60's or 70's.
 
60's- 70's i was in military and in the 70's i had a lady friend that would sip a beer all night while ducking out to the parking lot for a smoke and when we headed home SHE DROVE.
 
60's- 70's i was in military and in the 70's i had a lady friend that would sip a beer all night while ducking out to the parking lot for a smoke and when we headed home SHE DROVE.
I would always rather be a passenger in car where the driver had smoked versus one that had been drinking. Smoking drivers are not a danger to other drivers where drunks certainly are.
 
Easy way tp get past that is have your doc prescribe you some THC (can't remember the official name)pills from the pharmacy. This way when it's found in your system all you have to do is provide evidence that you have the prescription and it comes from a pharmacy they can't fire you for that.
If you can find a doctor who will prescribe marinol it certainly makes your job safer. But some employers will always find a reason to fire you if you don't play ball with them.
 
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