Coors fires worker for medical marijuana

[kpete]

Coors fires worker for medical marijuana
By Scot Kersgaard | 05.20.11 | 2:53 pm | More from The Colorado Independent


Paul Curry is out of work. His unemployment claim hasn’t yet been ruled on. At least he still has his medical marijuana–of course that’s why MillerCoors fired him.

According to his attorney, Rob Corry, he uses medical marijuana because of two separate conditions. He has nausea as a result of hepatitis C and he has severe back pain because of an injury he suffered while at work–at MillerCoors.

Corry said that when Curry was involved in a minor non-injury accident at work a few months ago, he was tested for marijuana and the test came up positive.

Corry says his client will probably sue MillerCoors for discrimination. The constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in Colorado states that employers do not have to make any accommodations to the use of medical marijuana while at work but is silent on the subject of use outside of work, according to Corry.

MORE:
http://washingtonindependent.com/109825/coors-fires-worker-for-medical-marijuana

[meow mix]

1. alcohol which kills people everyday..

but Fear the Weed :scared:

[SmileyRose]

2. Probably should have been put on disability leave instead of fired.

Coors handled it very badly. If they felt the "minor non-injury accident" coupled with his prescription medication made him dangerous to his fellow workers they should not be required to have him in the workplace. But come on - do these people seriously not understand PR?

They could have treated him like a human being. Now they are just another corporation that shits on the little guy............

[Scuba]

3. Pot is a major threat to their business model. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Nothing Coors does surprises me anymore

Decades of hateful behavior at this company.

[digonswine]

5. Yet another good reason not to drink their pisswater.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. That headline just drips with irony, doesn't it? n/t

[Uben]

7. Their product will never touch my lips again

It's all these MFers understand.

[The Straight Story]

8. meh, see companies banning smokers all the time and people praise it

not sure why I should care anymore if it is something that does not personally affect me.... ;)

[Fumesucker]

10. Smokers have a prescription?

;)

:hi:

[TroglodyteScholar]

9. Coors has always been a right-wing outfit, and I won't buy any of their products.

Coors
Molson
Blue Moon
Killians
Keystone


Avoid them all...unless you like to further the far right agenda.

[brewens]

11. I was warehouse supervisor at a beer distributor. The best guy

I had loading trucks and stuff was a stoner. I knew that when I helped get him hired. I looked the other way when he went to "lunch". I only occasionally indulged at the warehouse after 5 when everyone but us two were gone.

My bosses kind of knew I smoked weed too. They actually did not want to piss test us. DOT regulations mandated they test all of the truck drivers. The final screwjob came from Anheuser Busch. They demanded all distributors test all regular employees.

My first "random" test was an adventure. To start with, week one of the program and I get drawn. How random is that? Not to worry, I planned on "flushing" to beat it. Consuming large quantities of fluids. They gave us a heads up and a day to get in to be tested. I got the notice Friday so until Monday to get in.

My results cam in as negative but in bold faced type in the middle of the page, "The specimen was found to be diluted. We strongly suggest the subject be retested with instructions not to consume excessive fluids." Or something like that.

Fortunately I had gotten the results off the fax machine. Negative is negative right? Who gives a shit what the drug testing company suggests! With the help of a paper cutter and copy machine, I edited out the unnecessary bold faced paragraph and put my test results in my bosses in box. He never had a clue.

The diluted thing pisses me off. A urine sample is a urine sample as far as I'm concerned. I'm surprised someone hasn't beat that in court. How can they tell someone what they can and can't drink before a test, as long as it's not alcohol? Just because they think they might not get the results they want.

The same thing happened to me when I went to work for The Red Cross. That time I hadn't smoked for 45 days and felt pretty safe. Just to be safer I hit the fluids a little bit extra though. Also it was a hot day and I was giving the sample after going to the gym.

The results came back diluted and they made me get retested. I could tell my bosses were not amused. This happened after I was allowed to start work and had been flown to Salt Lake for training. I went to get tested and passed with no problem. I later heard the big boss from my department was a known user too. I could tell by the way he looked at me when I had to be retested that he knew.

I'm in a job at the blood center I work for now where I'm random tested. I'm coming up on 5 years since I smoked any weed. I'm moving to a different department where it won't be an issue anymore. Unless I were to get busted for possession anyway. To beat that I think I can move across the state line where they have medical weed and get a card.

[appal_jack]

17. next time consume B vitamins before the test

I'm not 100% sure that this will work, but you know how when you take a B-complex vitamin, your urine smells stronger and looks darker? Could be a way to counter the 'dilution' that the testing lab is finding.

And I heartily agree that the lab making a note of your fluid intake is bullshit. My kidneys get sore if I don't stay adequately hydrated: there's no way I'm going to get dehydrated for my employer's convenience.

Fir that matter, urine-analysis is bullshit. You're either sober when you show up to work, or not. If you are, your employer has no business testing your bodily fluids to inquire about what you might have been doing two Saturdays ago.

-app

[Bluenorthwest]

12. They were famously homophobic

I've boycotted them for years for being right wing hypocrites.

[otohara]

13. Suing Miller/Coors - good luck with that impossible task

ADA is great for access, not so much for work related discrimination.
Especially going up against one of the many evil-empire-mega-corporations and their high powered attorneys.
I tried to sue Clear Channel, it was not worth the money or stress.

[Ezlivin]

14. Coors in a urine specimen cup - perfect match

Piss is piss, after all....

[uncle ray]

15. do they still let you drink beer at lunch there?

[palmtree guy]

16. when weed is legal

I bet they will be first on the market with a thc enhanced beer, FOUR TOKO sounds about right

[diane in sf]

18. lol, pretty ironic, maybe they think he should have been medicating with beer instead