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May 23, 2023

Employee Sues for Wrongful Termination in Connecticut, Alleging Job Lost Due to Medical Marijuana Use

On April 24, 2023, a former employee of Specialty Minerals, Inc., filed suit in Connecticut for wrongful termination, alleging that his employer had fired him for his legal, off-duty medical marijuana use. Click here to view the complaint.Per the complaint, the employee uses marijuana to alleviate symptoms of PTSD and as a sleep aid and did not report to work under the influence of marijuana
Home » News » Employee Sues for Wrongful Termination in Connecticut, Alleging Job Lost Due to Medical Marijuana Use

John Stewart
Tue, 05/23/2023

On April 24, 2023, a former employee of Specialty Minerals, Inc., filed suit in Connecticut for wrongful termination, alleging that his employer had fired him for his legal, off-duty medical marijuana use. Click here to view the complaint.Per the complaint, the employee uses marijuana to alleviate symptoms of PTSD and as a sleep aid and did not report to work under the influence of marijuana

During a random drug screening at an occupational medicine clinic in January, the employee disclosed that he had a medical marijuana card, which he provided to the clinic staff. He was informed that he had passed the drug screening, but then was notified a few days later by his employer that he would be terminated for his marijuana use. This conduct, the employee contends in his lawsuit, violates Connecticut law.

Specifically, the employee has alleged his termination violates Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-408(b)(3), which prohibits refusing to hire or discharging, penalizing, or threatening an employee solely on the basis of that person’s status as a “qualifying patient or primary caregiver under sections 21a-408 to 21a-408n,” which are Connecticut’s laws concerning medical marijuana use and related topics.

For more information on employees’ rights to be treated fairly at work, visit https://www.mselaborlaw.com/practice-areas/cannabis-employees-workplace-rights or contact us at info@mselaborlaw.com.

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When McGillivary Steele Elkin LLP decides to take your case, it is because we believe there is an unacceptable workplace violation that has negatively impacted you or resulted in your employer paying less than what the law requires and which we have a reasonable chance of remedying. We recognize that meritorious claims should not go unremedied because of the level of a person’s resources.

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