Restore workplace rights

In November 1998, voters in Washington said “yes” to the medicinal use of marijuana to treat such ailments and chronic illnesses as cancer, HIV, glaucoma and epilepsy. In 2011 the courts decided to place employer rights over individual rights for those whose lives benefit from marijuana’s medical properties, as The Spokesman-Review reported in “Employers can fire workers for using medical marijuana” (June 10).

Not only does this highlight the double standard of medical marijuana to that of other “acceptable” medicines taken while at the workplace, but it is a clear reminder that when you cross the threshold into the private workplace you have no constitutional rights protections. In this case your 14th Amendment equal protection rights don’t exist.

This wasn’t always true. It’s time we did something about it. The Community Bill of Rights for Spokane would guarantee certain workplace protections to shield employees from this type of action. Vote “yes” for the Community Bill of Rights come November.

Nastassja Noell

Cheney