accidents in the workplace
corporate abuse
drug screening
drug testing
employment conditions
false positive
medical marijuana
positive drug test
Man Fired for Medical Marijuana
@zoey7879 (3092)
Quincy, Illinois
March 12, 2010 8:07pm CST
A Wal-Mart employee in Michigan recently sprained his ankle while at work and was sent to the doctor or hospital. The man had been employed by the company for five years and been awarded Employee of the Year at the store's location. During his employment, the man was treated for an inoperable brain tumor and sinus cancer, for which, his doctor prescribed medical marijuana. Medical marijuana IS legal for use in the state of Michigan.
WalMart requires drug screenings for all workplace accidents and property damage totaling above a certain amount. The man tested positive for marijuana. He provided WalMart with his state issued marijuana card (that grants him permission to use medical marijuana) but was fired anyway, due to the company's policy. The policy calls for the termination of those who provide positive results in a drug screening.
Michigan law also has a loophole that allows businesses to fire employees who violate company policy about positive drug test results, even if those drugs and medications were legally prescribed and legally consumed. The man says he never reported to work intoxicated, and has received unemployment benefits for several months, but now WalMart is challenging the man's unemployment benefit award.
Am I the only one who sees this as wrong, and as just another way that state and federal governments are protecting corporate America and not the working class? If the man would not have been able to produce a legal prescription for the marijuana, then I would side with the company. However, this is not the case.
Does anyone feel that this is simply precedent to allow corporations to further abuse employees who are prescribed other medications that could produce positive results or false positives in drug testing, such as by consuming poppy seeds, Vicodin, some anti-histimines, and anti-anxiety/depression medications?
1 response
@phoenix8606 (4942)
•
13 Mar 10
hi! well, I think that this company really doesn't know how to keep its employees happy and how to respect them, when it does this things. because every boss/company, which want to have happy and satisfied customers, should also have happy and satisfied employees, and and when one company did such a thibg like wal-mart, then that doesn't make a good impression to its customers. i think this man should sue the company , and I am sure he will win!


