Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jun 2015
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Nigel Duara

LEGAL POT LAWS DON'T COVER WORKERS

A Colorado Court Rules That Businesses Can Fire Employees WHO Use 
Marijuana During Their Off-Time.

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that businesses can fire 
employees who use marijuana during their off-time, including those 
with a legal prescription for medical pot.

In a case that has been closely watched by employers in some states 
that have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, the 
Colorado court found that Dish Network lawfully fired a quadriplegic 
employee and medical marijuana user who failed a drug test. Customer 
service representative Brandon Coats, 35, used marijuana in his 
offtime to deal with painful muscle spasms.

The court ruled that the federal prohibition on pot makes the drug 
unlawful despite Colorado's approval of its use for medicinal 
purposes. The ruling, while not binding in other states, adds to a 
series of court losses by medical marijuana patients who lost their 
jobs after using pot.

Coats sued after he was fired on June 7, 2010, alleging wrongful 
termination. He argued that marijuana was made "lawful" for the 
purposes of employment law when Colorado voters legalized it for 
medicinal use in 2000. Voters legalized it for recreational use in 2012.

A trial court dismissed Coats' suit, saying the state's legalization 
of medical marijuana only provides a defense against criminal 
prosecution, and does not make the use of marijuana a "lawful 
activity" that is protected against employment discrimination.

When the case went to the Colorado Court of Appeals, justices 
differed with the trial court's reasoning, but still found that Coats 
was rightfully terminated because marijuana is prohibited by federal law.

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed with that reasoning, voting 6 to 0 
with one abstention.

"Nothing in the language of the [employment] statute limits the term 
' lawful' to state law," wrote Justice Allison H. Eid. "Instead, the 
term is used in its general, unrestricted sense, indicating that a 
'lawful' activity is that which complies with applicable law, 
including state and federal law."

Coats said in a statement that the decision was a setback for him 
personally, but advanced the cause of medical marijuana patients in 
the workplace.

"If we're making marijuana legal for medical purposes, we need to 
address issues that come along with it such as employment," Coats 
said. "Hopefully views on medical marijuana - like the ones in my 
specific case - will change soon."

Dish Network did not reply to multiple phone inquiries.

Colorado Atty. Gen. Cynthia Coffman, whose office filed 
friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of Dish Network, lauded the 
decision because it gave employers complete control over drug use in 
the workplace.

"Not every business will opt for zero tolerance," Coffman said 
Monday, "but it is important that the latitude now exists to craft a 
policy that fits the individual workplace."

The federal Americans With Disabilities Act is meant to protect 
employees from discrimination based on a medical condition. But the 
ADA doesn't protect employees from losing their jobs after testing 
positive for marijuana because the drug is still listed next to 
heroin, LSD and Ecstasy on the federal government's list of Schedule 
I drugs, its most dangerous category.

Despite the state's relaxed view on pot, the Colorado Constitution 
states that employers don't have to amend their policies to 
accommodate employees' marijuana use.

In some other states, employment protection is built into the 
marijuana law. Such employment protection statutes often serve to 
dissuade employers from taking action against medical marijuana 
patients, keeping the matter out of court, said Karen O'Keefe, 
director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, an 
advocate of legalization.

Patients in Rhode Island, for instance, may not be denied school 
enrollment, housing or employment because they are medical marijuana 
cardholders.

"The issue has only been litigated in some medical marijuana states, 
so it's not clear which ones might ultimately be found to protect 
patients from employment discrimination," O'Keefe said.

Arizona, Delaware and Minnesota offer the strongest protections for 
medical marijuana patients, she said, adding that the Colorado 
Supreme Court's decision could serve as guidance in other states.

"For those states with similar language, it could have an impact," she said.

The California Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that employers may fire 
workers who test positive for marijuana, finding that the state law 
protections don't extend to employment.

Leland Berger, an Oregon attorney who helped underwrite that state's 
marijuana legalization law, said he and other drafters of the pot 
measure deliberately left out employment protection for political 
reasons. "It never would have passed otherwise," Berger said.

Berger said he advised his clients that the law was limited in what 
it protected: forfeiture, arrest and prosecution, but not the right 
to employment.

Even in states where employment protections exist, there is no 
guarantee that employees fired for marijuana use will prevail in court.

Joseph Casias of Battle Creek, Mich., was using marijuana for the 
pain associated with an inoperable brain tumor. When he twisted his 
knee at his job at Wal-Mart, he was ordered to take a drug test. 
Casias told his manager about his marijuana use, but was fired days 
later, per company policy.

He sued, and lost, in court for the same reason Coats lost his job - 
the federal ban on marijuana trumped state law.

"The case and many others like it highlight the gray areas and legal 
fixes needed in Colorado and other states that have reformed their 
marijuana laws," the pro-marijuana Drug Policy Alliance said in a 
statement Monday. "Any rights bestowed upon civilians by state law 
fall far short of fully protecting medical marijuana patients and 
legal adult users of marijuana."

In addition to Colorado, recreational pot use is legal in Washington 
state and Alaska and will be legal in Oregon on July 15.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom