“Wal-Mart Stands Up to Medi-Pot in the Workplace”
(St. Petersburg, FL) Drug prevention groups across the country are supporting Wal-Mart over an issue that has gained national media attention; medi-pot in the workplace.
Fourteen states have legalized marijuana under the guise of medicine and, as a result, employers in those states, such as Wal-Mart, struggle to maintain a drug-free workplace.
A national drug legalization group has called for a national boycott of Wal-Mart for what they mistakenly view as a wrongful termination of an employee after failing a routine drug screen following a workplace injury. Save Our Society From Drugs and other anti-drug groups are commending Wal-Mart for its decision to not allow other workers and its customers to be put at risk by marijuana users.
Federal law prohibits discrimination based on one’s disability however, marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and the American Disabilities Act does not protect individuals who are currently engaged in the use of illegal drugs. Marijuana remains a schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, meaning it cannot be prescribed by health care professionals as it has no recognized medical benefits. This fact assures Wal-Mart’s rights to take action against any employee who violates their drug policy.
When voters passed initiatives allowing for the use of “medical” marijuana in several states, they were mistakenly under the impression that recommendations would be made to individuals with life-threatening medical conditions who had exhausted other forms of medical treatment.
“Voters did not intend to allow employees to manipulate drug free workplace policies and allow individuals to come to work under the influence of marijuana thus putting others at risk,” says Calvina Fay, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs. “Marijuana in the workplace is just one of the many unintended consequences that follow the passage of state medi-pot programs.”
Business owners lose an estimated $100 billion per year because of substance abuse, including marijuana. “I commend Wal-Mart for their efforts to maintain a drug-free workplace and adhere to federal drug laws,” says Fay.
