Medical use of marijuana is costing some their jobs...

[cynatnite]

Residents in 14 states and Washington can now appeal to their doctors for prescriptions for medical marijuana to help them with their pain.

Their employers, however, may not be so understanding.

In some cases, workers have been fired for failing drug tests despite having prescriptions saying, in effect, that what they are doing is legal according to the laws of their states.

Though the number of such cases appears to be small, they are exposing a new legal gray area, with workers complaining of rights violations and company officials scratching their heads over how to enforce a uniform policy for a drug that the federal government has not recognized as having a legitimate medical purpose.

“The current state of affairs puts employers in a very difficult situation,” said Barbara L. Johnson, an employment lawyer in Washington. “But the reality is that there are no federal guidelines like there are when dealing with other types of prescription medications.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/us/29marijuana.html?hp

More at the link about two people who informed their employers about the condition and treatment with medical marijuana. They continued working up until they were drug tested. They were fired.

[Lint Head]

1. This is easy to fix. Stop testing for pot at work!!!!

[Taverner]

9. +10000000000000000000000

[Taitertots]

2. They should be taking the legal alternative....Oxycontin

:sarcasm:

[unblock]

3. welcome to the world of "at will" employment.

in most states, they can fire you for wearing a green shirt, scratching you ear, saying "uh-huh" instead or "you're welcome", or for being in the view of the boss when he goes on a tirade.

the war on workers has so undermined our negotiating power that we're at the mercy of some capricious and stupid decisions of bosses who aren't necessarily even acting in their company's best interest. freedom in this country is becoming all about business freedom, not individual liberties. if your boss wants to create a workplace free of medical marijuana, who are you to infringe on his rights?

this goes way beyond the medical marijuana issue. workers need a new bill of rights.

[Roon]

4. Yep, if they can fire you on the spot

you can quit on the spot. I always waited for the worst possible moment before I walked off a job.

[unblock]

5. even in termination, you have little bargaining power.

if you at all think you might need a reference for a future job, then you need to leave on good terms. employers, on the other hand, have little ramifications for firing people for ridiculous reasons. only if they do it enough to destroy morale do they MAYBE actually RECOGNIZE a consequence to their bottom line. most of the time bad management decisions lead to bad p&l statements, but management won't see it that way unless it gets REALLY bad. invariably, they'll blame someone else, e.g., the workers, before they'll accept blame themselves, especially for mismanagment.

[Roon]

8. You don't need job references when you work for minimum wage.

[unblock]

10. depends on the gig

i know waitstaff who have needed references!

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[eilen]

7. That is why I have a don't ask, don't tell policy

in regard to pot when I do hospital admissions. If I don't ask, I don't need to record it on the admission paperwork. The insurance companies have access to your medical information.

[Boxerfan]

11. I am a MM user & it is nearly impossible to get employment

I have over 25 years in the auto repair field. In the 80's when they 1st started testing everyone came to me to ask how they could pass the test. How I got that reputation is another story. But it ended up clearing the industry of some very talented-HONEST-people. I went to independent shops & had to find the few shops that didn't test when I moved or changed jobs.

Now it seems everyone tests. I was able to qualify for MM due to arthritic pain & a pinched nerve in the back/legs. I've been unemployed for the last 2 years after my surgery. But I have been doing a lot of conditioning & excercise. I have been able to improve enough to at least try & start working again. but I know if they want me to do a drug test-I might as well say-Sure!-what kind of drugs you want me to test?...Who knows-it may work.

But the law should seriously be changed. I could have all sorts of legal pharmaceuticals in me. I could be a raging alchoholic who snorted crank every weekend & still pass thier tests. but I can't go 30-40 days without my medicine & thats how long it stays in my system.

Dumb Dumb Dumb...