Pot’s Legal But Illegal

Even though marijuana is legal in Colorado, for both medical and recreational use, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday, June 15th, that employers can fire workers for pot use during their off-hours, even if it's being used for medical reasons. The high court unanimously upheld two lower court rulings that said lawful behavior under state employment law only includes activities that are also legal under federal law -- which marijuana use isn't. I wonder if the same can happen in MA?

The case was brought by a man named Brandon Coats, who has quadriplegia and has been in a wheelchair since he was a teenager. Coats was given a state license in 2009 for medical marijuana use to treat painful muscle spasms, but was fired from a Dish Network customer call center the following year after he failed a random drug test. He sued, charging that he'd been unfairly fired because medical marijuana was legal under Colorado law, as recreational use now is too! So, what are your thoughts about the high court's ruling that Dish was within its right to fire Mr. Coats because lawful behavior under state employment law has to also be legal under federal law? And if that's the case in CO, is it possible that the MA Supreme Judicial Court could rule the same in the future if recreational marijuana is passed?