Pubdate: Thu, 28 May 2015
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2015 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Leonard H. Glantz

THERE ARE CASES WHERE DRUG TESTING AT WORK IS A CLEAR OVERREACH

The article about Cristina Barbuto's firing for lawfully using 
medical marijuana in Massachusetts raises an important issue - that 
of employers testing employees for marijuana consumption without any 
legitimate reason for doing so ("Woman fights medical marijuana 
firing," Page A1, May 23).

Drug testing without cause is a holdover from the Reagan 
administration's failed "war on drugs." Private employers, such as 
Barbuto's employer, Advantage Sales and Marketing, have become 
law-enforcement agencies. While there may be reasons to test 
employees in safety-sensitive positions, such as airline pilots, 
there is no reason for employers to routinely test employees who work 
in marketing.

Employers should not be permitted to make employees choose between 
employment for which they are qualified and using a therapy 
recommended by their physicians. If Massachusetts wishes to be a 
leader in this area, it should prohibit employers from requiring 
routine drug testing as a condition for non-safety-sensitive employment.

Leonard H. Glantz

Boston
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom