Colorado Workers Can Be Fired for Using Pot Off-Duty

Colorado’s high court rules employees can be fired for smoking pot when they’re not at work. If a company has a no drug policy, that means if you fail a drug test, you can be fired. Regardless if you have a medical marijuana card. 

The AP reports: "Colorado became the fourth state in which courts have ruled against medical marijuana patients fired for pot use. Supreme courts in California, Montana and Washington state have made similar rulings."

This judgement came on Monday in response to a Colorado worker's law suit against his employer. Brandon Coats is a quadriplegic who was fired by Dish Network after failing a drug test in 2010. The company agreed that Coats wasn't high on the job but said it has a zero-tolerance drug policy.

(Brandon Coats, NY Times)

So why did Brandon Coats need marijuana? Why did he need to put his job at risk?

The AP states:

Coats was paralyzed in a car crash as a teenager and has been a medical marijuana patient since 2009, when he discovered that pot helped calm violent muscle spasms. He was a telephone operator with Dish for three years before he failed a random drug test in 2010 and was fired. He said he told his supervisors in advance that he probably would fail the test.

Colorado justices ruled that because marijuana is illegal under federal law, Coats' use of the drug couldn't be considered legal off-duty activity.

Do you think the courts ruled fairly? Sound off below.