Walmart Will Not Rehire Employee Fired for Legal Use of Medical Marijuana

MPP Calls For National Boycott of Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Will Not Rehire Employee Fired for Legal Use of Medical Marijuana

by Mike Hughes

After spraining his knee at work, former Wal-Mart employee Joseph Casias was given a drug test – standard operating procedure following a workplace injury. However, when the results came back positive for marijuana use, Casias was fired despite the fact that he is a legal medical marijuana patient in Michigan and uses cannabis to manage pain resulting from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.

Despite this, Wal-Mart decided to fire Casias – a former Associate of the Year – setting off a protests and plans for a nationwide boycott of the store.

Unbelievably, Casias, who has been collecting unemployment since his termination, recently was notified that Wal-Mart planned to challenge his eligibility. Thankfully a Wal-Mart spokesperson indicated that the company “will no longer object to Casias receiving those benefits.”

Additionally, the spokesperson called the situation “unfortunate” and offered the following explanation: “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.” The spokesperson confirmed that Casias would not be offered his job back.

The Marijuana Policy Project has called for a national boycott of Wal-Mart. The group’s director of state policies, Karen O’Keefe, added, “It’s despicable that Wal-Mart would fire such a hardworking and seriously ill employee simply for treating his symptoms with a medicine that he is authorized to use under state law.”