Walmart's War on Medical Marijuana

by Chris Cassidy · 2010-06-29 12:55:00 UTC
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How much does Walmart care about whether its employees follow state law?

If you ask Joseph Casias, not that much. In 2008, Michigan voters legalized medical marijuana. That same year in Battle Creek, MI, Casias was voted Walmart's Associate of the Year.

After the law passed, Casias' doctor prescribed him medical marijuana to treat pain from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. When Walmart found out about his medical decisions, Casias was promptly fired by the retailer that once honored his work ethic.

Casias was abiding by state law, which permits cancer patients to diminish their symptoms with prescribed use. Casias — a hard-working husband and father of two young children — had never arrived at work under the influence or smoked on the job. And yet Walmart dismissed him anyway, after he (predictably) failed to pass a drug test administered by a doctor who treated Casias after he twisted his knee at work.

Walmart's policy of forcing employees to choose between their health care and their paycheck is now being tested in state court. The ACLU filed suit on Casias' behalf this week, alleging that Walmart violated the protections provided by Michigan's medical marijuana law.

In recent months, over 2,000 Change.org readers have told Walmart to keep its nose out of employees' health care decisions, but the company remains obstinate. You can keep up on the latest, and tell Walmart that medical marijuana is medicine, at the ACLU's new Facebook page dedicated to Casias' case.

This isn't the only suit pending against Walmart for unfair and discriminatory employment practices. With Casias, the ACLU and other hitting Walmart in its pocketbook, time will reveal how long the retailer's reactionary policies will stand.

Photo Credit: Caveman 92223 — On the 2010 US Tour

Chris Cassidy writes on law, judicial nominations and the Constitution as they pertain to criminal justice reform and women's rights.

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