Court: Worker Fired May Sue for Medical Marijuana Discrimination

A Massachusetts court ruled a worker with Crohn’s disease being treated with medical marijuana may sue her former employer for discrimination.

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MASSLIVE

By Michelle Williams

After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday in favor of an employee fired after testing positive for marijuana, some legal experts are shocked.

I can’t stress this enough, it’s the first case of its kind in the country,” said Dale Deitchler, a shareholder at world’s largest labor and employment law firm representing management Littler Mendelson and an expert on marijuana issues in the workplace.

Cristina Barbuto was fired after her first day promoting products in a supermarket for Advantage Sales and Marketing in 2014. A human resources representative informed her that she did not pass the drug test and that the company follows federal, not state law.

Read the rest of the story on Masslive.com.