Pot law stirs workplace

If the federal government doesn’t overturn Washington’s new law legalizing marijuana for recreational use, consider these questions:

Who is liable in an industrial accident if the employee who was negligent fails a mandatory drug test after he/she seriously injures another employee?

What if the employee claims he wasn’t stoned at the time of the accident, and then suggests he was stoned the night before, which is why he failed the drug test?

If an employer refuses to hire an applicant because they failed a marijuana drug test, will the American Civil Liberties Union intervene, forcing employers to hire applicants who use marijuana because it is legal?

How can employers protect their interest if they have an employee who used someone else’s urine sample in order to pass a mandatory drug test?

What about the victim in an industrial accident. Who can he sue? The negligent employee who practiced dishonesty to the employer, the ACLU that intervened with employer hiring, the federal government for not enforcing federal law, the state of Washington for allowing an illegal state law to get on the ballot, or the employer?

David Adams

Spokane