Man Fired for Pot Use Plans Court Test of Medical Marijuana Law

A 40-year-old computer specialist from Sacramento is forcing a court test of a controversial state law allowing medical use of marijuana.

Gary Ross was fired when a drug test revealed he had recently used marijuana. Ross had worked at the $74,000 per year systems administrator job for only a week when he was dismissed.

Now he has filed suit against RagingWire Telecommunications, arguing that the marijuana had been prescribed by a physician as a means of relieving chronic back pain. Ross contends that the firing was illegal under the terms of a six-year-old California law allowing the use of marijuana as medicine. "I had gone through all the steps necessary to make sure it was perfectly legal," said Ross. "I don't know why they terminated me. I was very surprised."

RagingWire Telecommunications replied with a written a statement that said, in part, "Mr. Ross signed and accepted an offer for a position that required [full time] on-call availability. Mr. Ross failed to inform the company he was using marijuana for medicinal purposes prior to receiving his offer letter."

California courts must now decide if an employer can choose which medications are off limits. Ross said he doesn't really want to be the flag bearer for a cause. Instead, he said he just wants justice. "I don't really consider myself a test case," said Ross. "I just consider myself an employee who was wrongfully terminated."

Ross claims he tried nearly everything to relieve pain from a 20-year-old back injury before turning to marijuana. He finally tried the drug after his doctor recommended it. "It's been the best medication I've taken for my back since my injury," said Ross.

Ross said he could have avoided using marijuana in the weeks prior to his drug test, but felt that would be admitting he's doing something wrong.

Rock 'n Roll is/was part of the drug culture also, should we make it illegal?

So are you going to say the rock and roll lifestyle is healthy. Why don't we ask Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Entwostle, etc.etc.

Sorry that you do not want to see that the drug culture is a culture of death and no I don't want to ban rock 'n roll, it seems that you want to ban any criticism of the drug lifestyle.

Really the embrace of marijuana by 60's leftist hippies and radicals had no part of creating the drug culture, I guess to you. Like it or not marijuana is an integral part of the drug culture, to deny that is to deny reality.

Your vision of a typical pot smoker today is nothing like what they are. The 60s days are over. You need to get over it. I am in college and just came out of high school less than 3 years ago. Your typical pot smoker today is nothing like a hippie. Not even close.

LOL! Nothing "feel based" about it. It is the truth that marijuana is an integral part of the drug culture and to deny that is to use the standard liberal MO of denying reality.

Anyone who wants to make something illegal because of its association seemingly with other things, regardless of the merits of the item itself is a 'feel based' position. One example is guns. It is 'associated with crime and violence' so the soccer moms try to ban them, regardless of the fact that guns are rarely used to commit crimes. Another is marijuana, which is comparitively harmful, impossible to OD on, yet want to keep it illegal because it is 'associated with other drugs'. Hey, so is alcohol but I guess that matters not.

I have no problems with you giving criticism of the drug lifestyle. I have a problem with you taking mine and other's tax dollars and putting law abiding systems in jail/prison and giving them a record over something that is relatively harmless compared to alcohol and most prescription drugs.

Yeah right, anyway, the modern drug culture got it's start in the 60's by radical leftists and we have been dealing with that scrouge ever since. You can deny reality all you want, but it doesn't change a thing. I guess the next thing you are going to tell me is that academia is not a hot bed of leftism, since so many things have changed since the 60's.

Academia is a hot bed of leftism. And you are wrong on the pot heads. Being a 'hippie' is not 'cool' at all anymore. They pretty much get laughed all over town. Next time you go into church, look at your church youth group. That's your current generation of pot heads. Oh they keep it hidden well from their parents, but a large portion are doing it (and no I'm not implying that only church-going kids are potheads).

And like I said, it still doesn't matter, that's not a reason to keep it illegal, especially as a felony.

You still haven't denied that marijuana is not an integral part of the drug culture. So with your above statement you are saying that the drug culture is harmless?

You can rant rave about how marijuana is harmless, but it is an integral part of something very dangerous, the drug culture.

No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying I don't care if you complain about the drug culture all day long till you are blue in the face but " have a problem with you taking mine and other's tax dollars and putting non-violent citizens in jail/prison and giving them a record over something that is relatively harmless compared to alcohol and most prescription drugs."

You can rant rave about how marijuana is harmless, but it is an integral part of something very dangerous, the drug culture.

And if marijuana were legalized you'd seperate that drug culture instantaneously. Alcohol was an 'integral part of the drug culture' during the 20s too, ya know. Still is. Everyone I know who does hard drugs usually gets slammed before or during [with other drugs] with alcohol

No you are implying that all kids are pot heads. Got news for you, not all are, but you go ahead and peddle your views that marijuana is not a part of the drug culture, when common sense all around you, states otherwise.

You continue to put words in my mouth. I didn't say that all kids are pot heads. Let me repeat what I said. but a large portion are doing it. My personal guesttimate is that over 75% have tried it, and probably 40% are very casual users, 25% are party users and 10% are normal/heavy users.

It is no more a part of the drug culture than alcohol. 99% of the reason it is associated with the drug culture is because the DEA classifies it as such still.

Sorry, I didn't grow up in the 'hippie generation'. All that 'common sense' is not around anymore. Marijuana today has nothing to do with hippies anymore. It's used by the same type of people that were using it before 1960, and that is your every day average kid. When was the last time you actually hung out with a teenagers/young adults? You know probably next to 0 about our lifestyle. Being a hippie is definately not a defining attribute.

One example is guns. It is 'associated with crime and violence' so the soccer moms try to ban them, regardless of the fact that guns are rarely used to commit crimes. Another is marijuana, which is comparitively harmful, impossible to OD on, yet want to keep it illegal because it is 'associated with other drugs'. Hey, so is alcohol but I guess that matters not

When in trouble in a debate agout drugs bring up guns. Time for the question the pro-drug crowd hates.

Firearms help protect innocent life and property, how many live have the recreational use of a joint, crack pipe, or heroin needle saved.

You can rant and rave and hold your breath until you turn blue, but you still haven't denied that marijuana is an integral part of the drug culture.

And to me the drug culture and many other people is something that is dangerous to the well being of this country.

Maybe someday you will look at the big picture and not get bogged down in mintuae.

You still didn't debate the point. You are using a FEELING arguement (association), not a LOGICAL arguement based on the merits itself. But since we are going to bring up lives. How many lives have guns over the years killed. How many lives over the years has illicit drugs killed.

And your characterization of marijuana today is completely off base. You really, really don't have a clue even what today's drug culture is. When was the last time you actually hung out with people who used illicit drugs.

Marijuana today has nothing to do with hippies anymore. It's used by the same type of people that were using it before 1960, and that is your every day average kid. When was the last time you actually hung out with a teenagers/young adults? You know probably next to 0 about our lifestyle. Being a hippie is definately not a defining attribute

Your lifestyle? Whew who crowned you king of the young adult set. Ah youth when hubris abounds. Someday you will grow up and notice that the world does not revolve around you.

And to me the drug culture and many other people is something that is dangerous to the well being of this country

Let's list the dangers of the drugs anyway while we are at it.

1) Lacing. Caused by the drug war.
2) Drug pushers of harder drugs. Caused by the drug war.
3) 50 billion bucks--tax dollars-spent on the drug war each year
4) Gangs. Caused by the drug war.
5) Deaths. Not prevented by the drug war. The drug war does not stop drugs from entering this country nor does it deter use. 6) 4th, 5th and 10th amendment trampled on. Caused by the drug war.

You fail to realize a host of problems are created by the drug war.

When was the last time you actually hung out with people who used illicit drugs.

Oh about 17 years. Thank God, I got out. Maybe someday you will see that the world doesn't revolve aroud drugs, but with your hubris, I kinda of doubt it, IMO.

I guarantee I know more of the average teenager/young adult than you do.

. Someday you will grow up and notice that the world does not revolve around you.

One need only look in the mirror with the way you spout off about the way you know todays drug culture--regardless of the fact that are in no way shape or form near/around/involved in it.

Well then you admitted it, you know nothing about todays drug culture then.

And yes I realize the world does not revolve around drugs, although as much as you like to come on these threads, one would think that you seem to think it does also.

You fail to realize a host of problems are created by the drug war.

And you fail to realize the problems caused by drug abuse. Broken families, wasted lives, criminality, etc. etc.

Since time began there has been a war against murder, rape, theft, etc. etc. Should we give up those "wars" also?

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