The federal law against marijuana use is still the law of the land when it comes to Colorado businesses, the Colorado Supreme Court said Monday.
The court correctly affirmed a lower-court ruling that gave Colorado businesses the right to fire an employee over off-duty weed use.
The employee in this case, Brandon Coats, argued medical marijuana use should be legal under Colorado’s Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute, which he said should be based on state laws, not federal ones.
Coats’ former employer, Dish Network, argued the statute should also include the federal law. The court agreed with Dish in a 6-0 decision, saying both state and federal laws are at play when determining what is lawful.
The decision maintains employers’ rights to prohibit weed use. For some jobs, that is important. The Regional Transportation District, for example, should be allowed to forbid drivers from using pot, even off the clock.
It is hoped, however, that employers use this ruling judiciously and not as a mandate against marijuana. Coats, a quadriplegic, was a telephone customer service representative. Though the ruling was appropriate and Dish Network was within its rights to dismiss Coats, was his off-duty pot use for medical reasons really that problematic?
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