Job security for medical marijuana patients
Imagine this scenario: Your doctor says medical marijuana is the best drug to help your medical condition. You begin using marijuana at home, medically. Then you get fired for using the same marijuana your doctor told you to use. This is the battle Gary Ross of California is fighting after the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ross’former employer.
In 1996, California voters passed a law that allowed doctors to give marijuana to patients who could benefit from it. But because of the line between state law and federal law, the California Supreme Court said that since marijuana is illegal under federal law, businesses have the right to fire anyone who tests positive for it. And this is raising some serious issues with the residents of California.
“It’s insane that someone has to fight so hard to use a medication that a doctor says is best for your treatment”. said Ross. “The issue is not whether workers can be stoned on the job ‘ they can’t ‘ but whether trace amounts of doctor-approved marijuana are grounds for firing”.
“An employer may require pre-employment drug tests and take illegal drug use into consideration,” the Supreme Court said. The problem is that cannabis is legal in California, and the California Supreme Court is going by federal law, not state law. The state says marijuana is not an illegal drug. And if it is, it should be considered just as illegal as Vicodin or Morphine which are also doctor-approved drugs. This ruling essentially forces medicinal pot smokers to choose between work or medication.
The argument against Ross is: “We really shouldn’t be forcing employers to hire illegal drug users”. Again, calling cannabis an illegal drug in California is just like calling any other doctor-prescribed drug “illegal”. And if employers can fire you for using medical marijuana, there shouldn’t be any law against firing them for using any doctor prescribed medication that is otherwise illegal to purchase.
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