Maine Employment Lawyer Blog
The American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) of Maine has sued Adecco on behalf of a woman from Pittsfield named Brittany Thomas. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Thomas applied for a job with Adecco and failed its drug test because she uses medicinal marijuana. Although just 24 years old, Ms. Thomas suffers from grade 2 spondylosis, the beginning stages of arthritis, two bulging disks, a herniated disk, an annular tear, and a pinched nerve root. She was prescribed marijuana for the pain associated with these back problems.
“No patient should be forced to choose between the pain relief she needs to live a normal life and the employment she needs to support her family,” said Zachary Heiden, legal director for the ACLU of Maine. “And no employer should be forcing itself into the middle of a decision best made by a patient and her doctor.”