Oregon workers who use pot to relieve pain or nausea can be fired for drug use even if they have a state-issued medical marijuana card, says a state Supreme Court ruling reported by The Oregonian. In a decision hailed by business groups, the court said Oregon’s medical marijuana program must give way to federal laws controlling illegal drugs. Specifically, laws that require employers to accommodate disabled workers don’t extend to medical marijuana use.
The 5-2 decision overturned rulings by a court and a state agency, which had ordered back wages for a man who was fired by a steel fabrication firm after he acknowledged using pot. The trade group Associated Oregon Industries said the high court “has now said that employers need not accommodate medical marijuana users in the workplace.” It said employers should feel free to apply “zero-tolerance” drug policies and refuse to hire applicants who fail drug tests “regardless of medical marijuana registry status.”