CO Ruling on Employee Cannabis Use Likely Won’t Impact MJ Industry

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Cannabis consumers and patients were dealt a blow Monday when the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that employers can still terminate workers for using marijuana, despite the fact that both medical and recreational cannabis are legal in the state.

But the unanimous 6-0 decision in a case that dates back to 2010 isn’t really expected to have much of an effect on the industry.

“In the final analysis, it may have a minimal impact,” said Bruce Nassau, a co-owner of Tru Cannabis, a chain of medical and recreational marijuana shops in Colorado.

Nassau said he expects the ruling may deter some marijuana consumers who have jobs that require random drug testing, “But I think that’s a really small minority,” Nassau said.

That was the case with Brandon Coats, the plaintiff in the case addressed by Colorado’s Supreme Court. Coats, a quadriplegic, had previously worked for Dish Network, and he used MMJ while not at work to help control muscle spasms. But Coats was fired in 2010 after failing a random drug test.