People Are Getting Fired for Medical Marijuana in States Where It’s Legal…and Many Judges Are Siding with the Employers

‘Justin Shepherd, a former employee at a Kohl’s in Calfornia, is suing the department store chain for wrongful termination. Shepherd says he worked at Kohl’s for years before he was diagnosed with acute and chronic anxiety and received a recommendation for medical marijuana from his doctor. Shepherd didn’t notify the company he had started to use medical marijuana it for his illness, but in 2012 Kohl’s expanded its personnel policies to include exceptions to its drug testing for employees in certain states, like California.
According to the complaint, Shepherd was injured during work and a drug test revealed traces of marijuana metabolites. He provided a copy of his doctor’s recommendation to Kohl’s, said he only used the drug while off-duty and explained how traces of the substance can remain in one’s system for quite some time. Nonetheless, Shepherd says he was fired and told he “should have chosen a different medication.”‘
Read more: People Are Getting Fired for Medical Marijuana in States Where It’s Legal…and Many Judges Are Siding with the Employers