Indopedia All Things Marijuana
A Rhode Island textile company will appeal a court ruling that says it discriminated against a medical marijuana user by denying her a job. In 2014, Darlington Fabrics Corp. denied a paid internship to Christine Callaghan after she revealed that she was legally using medical marijuana as a treatment for migraines.
Callaghan, a master’s degree student at the University of Rhode Island, said that the incident forced her to disclose her medical condition and MMJ use to her professors, and delayed her ability to graduate on time. The ACLU filed a lawsuit on Callaghan’s behalf, arguing that refusing to hire a medical marijuana user violated both the state’s Civil Rights Act and the medical marijuana law.
Associate Justice Richard A. Licht found the company guilty of both violations. The company argued that Callaghan was not protected under the state Civil Rights Act because she was not protected under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Licht ruled that the state’s legal definition of disability is broader than the federal one, protecting anyone with “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more . . . major life activities.”
Attorneys…
