Walmart worker Joseph Casias, 29, can take heart from the fact that the company is highly “sympathetic” to his struggle with an inoperable brain tumor. The sympathy, however, did not prevent the company from firing him because he used legal medical marijuana to deal with the pain of the tumor.
Casias was fired in November from a Walmart store in Battle Creek, Mich., after marijuana was detected in a routine drug screening. He proceeded to show all of the records that he took the marijuana legally and there was never a complaint about his performance at work. He worked 12-14 hours a day.
Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter told FoxNews.com “This is just an unfortunate situation all around.” Well a bit more unfortunate for Casias, wouldn’t you say? Rossiter add “We’re sympathetic to Mr. Casias’ condition, but like other companies, we have to consider the overall safety of our customers and associates, including Mr. Casias, when making a difficult decision like this.” So, this is a Walmart version of Reefer Madness.
Once again, I am not sure why Wal-Mart fights these fights (here) and reaffirms the global view of the company as one of the dark forces in the business world.
For the full story, click here.
Canadian Eh said “Marijuana, when used medicinally works in the body in a very different way than when used recreationally, the same is true for any drug.”
Can you point me to some referrence to support that? I’ve gotten stoned when I was nauseated, tired, coffee buzzed, fishing, drunk, sober, etc. I’ve even been stoned while blogging. I always felt “stoned”. Appearing to function normally, and functioning at full capacity are two different things. Have you ever tried to play “frisbee” while stoned? I won’t even attempt to play a video game while stoned. It just takes too much effort.
Hell. I’ve been so high on gooey sticky green bud that it took me three tries to get up my driveway. I was already in the car, it was a dry summer evening, and my driveway is only a 10 degree grade. 🙂
When you were all meesed up on drugs, did you drive a car? Do you think you would have wanted your children to ride with someone in that condition?
OK. Who is willing to put their children or grandchildren on a bus driven by a stoned busdriver?
Anyone who doesn’t volunteer; How are you going to explain the mother of the child whose fingers got smashed between a couple of shopping carts, because you had compassion for the terminally ill employee, and decided that his being stone was acceptable for compassionate medical reasons.
I can’t have compassion for one at the expense of others.
Both of which create far more impairment than marijuana. Oh, and they’ll kill you if you take to much. Marijuana? You literally cannot smoke enough to get a toxic dose. Or eat enough for that matter. No one has ever died from marijuana overdose. The same cannot be said of either alcohol or nicotine, both OTC drugs.
Duh,
I understand the policy that Walmart has, however my point is that there are far more pharmacuticals that alter one’s mind than marijuana and many, in far worse ways. I recently suffered a permanent back injury following a car accident and was prescribed 2 narcotics, and a mucle relaxer for pain management. I experienced very little pain management while using this cocktail, I also had a difficult time remembering simple words during conversation, was unable to stay awake for longer than 2 hours at a time, and my typically sunny personality clouded over with the blackest clouds that I’ve ever experienced. When I conjured up enough sense to stop taking my Dr. prescribed, pharmacutically developed cocktail it took weeks for my brain to start functioning properly again. I have a friend who has a similar back injury ( c-spine rather than L-spine ) who uses MM for pain management and functions in a very normal routine on a daily basis. Marijuana, when used medicinally works in the body in a very different way than when used recreationally, the same is true for any drug. There in lies the problem with the decision made by Walmart and any other company with the same philosphy.
Duh,
Start with NyQuil. Work your way to cough syrups.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16311712/
I just want the over-the-counter drugs that will leave me seriously impaired.
“There are any number of legally prescribed and over-the-counter medications that can impair a person’s abilty to function”.
Could you please name some? The weekend is just around the corner.
There are any number of legally prescribed and over-the-counter medications that can impair a person’s abilty to function–yet people don’t get fired if they take them.
Canadian Eh,
Where permitted by law, Wal-Mart does drug test all applicants.
“I understand that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has a commitment to maintain an alcohol/drug-free workplace and that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., unless prohibited by state law, requires a drug screening test as a part of its selection and hiring process.”
https://hiringcenter.walmartstores.com/OnlineHiringCenter/disclaimers2.jsp
They also test after injuries where drug use is suspected, and they test before promotions.
It either is a safety concern that outweighs privacy, or it is not. If it is not a safety concern the answer is to prohibit employees from being tested.
From personal experience; working stoned should be considered a safety concern. I keep looking for the directions to “proper use”, but there is no writing on the baggie. Dude 🙂
AY,
That was only the “special stash”. And the tail was the least side effect. It turned poor Stacey Keach into a lizard.
Marijuana by itself is, as Douglas Adams might say, “Mostly Harmless”.
Buddah…
Absolutely agree!
Canadian,
“If anyone believes that marijuana alters one’s mind any more than most of the drug classes listed above they know nothing about medication side & adverse affects!!”
Or marijuana either.
Most people who criticize it have never smoked it. If they had, they’d realize the propaganda is exactly that: propaganda.
lol….AY I wish I could actually remember any of the C&C movies that I saw as a teenager…unfortunately I was medicated while watching! Hmmm….oddly enough I don’t have a tail.
Canadian Eh.,
If I remember correctly, it makes one grow a tail. I heard that in a Cheech and Chong movie so it has to be true..
I think if Walmart started drug testing all of it’s employees nation wide for drugs that can alter one’s mind, their stores would be completely unstaffed. The pharmacuticals are convincing Doctors across this continent to poison patients on a daily basis with narcotics, unnecesary use of statins, blood pressure medications ( both statins and blood pressure medications are now first response treatments in newly diagnosed diabetics whether they have high BP/cholesterol levels or not )anti depressants, anti anxieties, psychotropic, benzotropines,etc etc etc…. and somehow this is ok. However when a man is using MM ( a treatment for which pharmacuticals receive 0 $$$ ) to treat symptoms of a horrific disease it becomes ok to fire that man from his job? If anyone believes that marijuana alters one’s mind any more than most of the drug classes listed above they know nothing about medication side & adverse affects!!
AY,
You think you missed a lot…I’m just now getting time to sit and read….I could be here all night!!!!
Ya know sometimes it is good when I go to the Movies or Grill outside. I missed so much.
You would know . . . Bron. lol
I’ll say this for you, my man. You can take some heat. You can dish it out, but man can you take a punch. Make Ali in Zaire proud of your rope-a-dope skills.
Duh:
I actually wish Gerty would come back. when he got going he had some pretty good stuff to say, very insightful.
Duh:
this is actually pretty civil to tell you the truth. These advocates can be quite devilish 🙂