E-Alert Item: Medical Marijuana: Fired Employee Goes To Court

Gary Ross was offered a job as a lead systems administrator for RagingWire Telecommunications in Sacramento. In connection with taking a mandatory pre-employment drug test, Ross gave the company a copy of his medical prescription for marijuana, which he used to alleviate pain from an old back injury. Ross also told RagingWire that he wouldn’t smoke marijuana in the workplace or come to work impaired. But just days after he was hired, he was fired. Ross has now filed a lawsuit against RagingWire seeking over $100,000 in damages. In response to the lawsuit, RagingWire’s attorney has said that the company stands by its decision to terminate Ross and that it is committed to a drug-free work environment.