A New Jersey man’s career with Amazon came to a sudden — and unfair — end once the online retail giant learned he used medical marijuana, a new lawsuit alleges.
Amazon AMZN, +0.08% fired the warehouse associate, who used marijuana to treat his panic and anxiety disorder, and also “blacklisted” him from other jobs with Amazon-owned companies including Whole Foods, court papers contend.
The lawsuit is the latest yank in the tug of war between workers and companies over how far state medical marijuana laws extend into the workplace, especially when heavy machinery and safety considerations are in the mix.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The worker, who will be identified as “D.P.C.” in court filings, said he made $14.10 an hour, plus benefits, as a warehouse associate. He was promoted twice, and then was given a random cheek swab drug test in July 2018, his first in his approximate 10 months on the job, the filing says.