Judge rules against company for violating rights of Medical Marijuana User

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on May 28, 2017.

A textile company has discriminated against woman and violated the marijuana law, ruled a judge in a written decision.

Darlington Fabrics Corp, a westerly based textile company had denied a paid internship to a woman on the basis that she uses medical marijuana to treat migraine headaches.

The woman Christine Callaghan a graduate at the University of Rhode Island, had applied for paid internship at the textile company. Though she was initially approved for the internship, but the offer was withdrawn when she informed she was in possession of a medical marijuana card.

A case against Darlington Fabrics Corp was filed by state branch of American Civil Liberties Union and Christine was represented by Carly Beauvais Iafrate, a volunteer attorney from the Union.

While giving the ruling, the judge Richard A. Licht concluded that the textile company had violated the state’s Hawkins-Slater Medical Marijuana Act, which prohibits discrimination against medical marijuana card-holders.

“This decision sends a strong message that people with disabilities simply cannot be denied equal employment opportunities because of the medication they take. If employers were permitted to discriminate against those using medical marijuana, then the good work done by those to enact the law will be completely undone,” judge Iafrate said in a statement.

In its defense, the Westerly based company had stated that it had refused to offer paid internship to Christine, not because she was a medical marijuana card holder but denied her internship because of her inability to pass a drug screening test. because of her status as a card-holder but because of her inability to pass a drug screening test.

Thanking ACLU for taking up the case, Christine said she was forced to disclose her medical condition to professors after not being hired.

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