Last year, Joseph Casias was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in his nasal cavity. Joseph’s doctor prescribed marijuana for him to help with the pain. Joseph used to work at Wal-Mart but he got fired in November 2009 because he failed a drug test. He lives and works in Michigan. Marijuana is legal there if it is being used for medicinal purposes. Joseph said that he had a medical card saying that it was legal for him to have it. He never came to work while he was high either. Was it right for him to get fired from his job?
Medical marijuana card
There are 14 different states right now in the US that have medical marijuana legalized. The law protects the medical users of marijuana in those states from getting criminalized. It doesn’t protect them from not getting or loosing a job though. There is no law saying that employers can’t fire you if you are allowed to legally smoke marijuana. So there are a lot of employers that will. A lot of legal marijuana users are loosing there job and can’t find another one because of this.
Joseph is really upset that he lost his job and wants it back. He doesn’t see why he lost his job and he doesn’t think it’s fair. The marijuana he is using is only for his cancer and he never uses it before going to work. It makes him very angry that Wal-Mart won’t let him come back to he job. He was always a good worker and got the job done. Joseph worked at Wal-Mart for 5 years and believed he was part of the Wal-Mart family.
There are some companies out there that will tolerate the usage of medical marijuana though. It mostly just depends on the employer and their thoughts on it. When users of the drug are applying for a job, it is recommended that they make sure that the employer knows first thing about there condition. If they don’t like the fact they are using the drug for medical reasons, it’s probably best that they try to find a different job so that they don’t get fired later on.
Prescribed bottle of marijuana
After the Wal-Mart company let Joseph go, he’s been going through a lot of trouble. He is having a hard time supporting his family. The cancer he is suffering with isn’t getting much help because he can no longer afford the treatment for it. Joseph constantly worries if his cancer is getting worse since it’s untreated. Him and his family are also in debt right now, since he is now unemployed. They owe about $10,000.
A lot of people are complaining about how companies are treating medical marijuana users. There are some other people that are going through the same problems that Joseph is. One user says that “it’s complete discrimination” and another says that “if you are a medical marijuana user, you're treated like a drug addict”. The entire thing is just a huge debate. Maybe some day it will all be legalized and employers won’t have a say in it. I think if they need the marijuana then they shouldn’t have to loose there job. It’s very unfair through my eyes. If they can use it legally and won’t get high on the job then let them be.
Sources: Google Images and CNN
Comments