Man Loses Job For Smoking Pot To Aid Glaucoma

A county worker who drives heavy construction equipment was fired for using marijuana, which he said he uses after work only to treat his glaucoma.

California approved the medical use of marijuana last fall but the federal government still considers it an illegal drug.

Rob Dunaway, 38, of Mission Viejo said he was fired, effective Monday.

“I love my work. It’s what I’ve done all my life,” Dunaway said. “I feel I’m being discriminated against because of the medicine I use.”

Advocates for the medical use of marijuana said Dunaway apparently is the first medical user to lose his job since voters approved the measure in November.

Dunaway drives dump trucks, bulldozers and other equipment. He was diagnosed with glaucoma at 19, and for 15 years has smoked a small amount of marijuana after work - never before or during work hours, he said.

In 1995, he began using conventional medications after the federal government started requiring random drug tests for operators of various commercial and industrial vehicles. He went back to marijuana in March and was suspended when he tested positive. He was also told he would be fired if he tested positive again within a year.

He said his doctor gave him an oral recommendation for marijuana.