One of my biggest fears is getting fired for marijuana. My family survives off of my one cubicle worker income right now, and losing my job would be devastating. Sadly, this happens to medical marijuana patients all to often. It’s legal for them to consume medical marijuana off the clock, but if they fail a drug test on the job, they lose their job even though the medical marijuana consumption occurred on their own time. It’s incredibly unfair, but very common. Somewhat fortunately for medical marijuana patients in Michigan, they are eligible for unemployment benefits if they are fired for medical marijuana. Per Detroit Free Press:
In a breakthrough decision for those who say marijuana is medicine and not a dangerous drug, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Friday that workers who are state-approved users of medical marijuana should get unemployment compensation if fired solely for testing positive for drugs.
“It’s a very favorable decision for the civil rights of employees in Michigan,” said Matt Abel, a Detroit lawyer and senior partner of Cannabis Counsel, a law firm that focuses on marijuana cases.
Medical marijuana should be treated like any other prescription. No one gets fired for failing drug tests for prescription drugs that a doctor prescribes to them, and medical marijuana should be no different. I wish there were rulings like this in every medical marijuana state.
