In the summer of 2018, Amazon allegedly administered a cheek swab drug test to a top-performing warehouse worker in Edison, New Jersey. The worker used medical cannabis to treat panic attacks, and the test results came back positive.
Medical cannabis is legal in the state of New Jersey. But even after providing the company with a doctor’s note, the worker was fired.
Things took a turn for the worse when the worker applied to a position at a Whole Foods grocery store. Not only had he been fired from his warehouse job, but he also alleges he was blacklisted from working at the grocery chain and all businesses owned by Amazon.
The worker, who was prescribed medical cannabis to ease an anxiety disorder, is now suing Amazon in federal court for disability and workplace discrimination. In the lawsuit, the worker is identified as "DPC," their initials.
“Amazon is such a big and powerful corporation. I felt like it was following me,” DPC. told Motherboard. “Between Amazon and Whole Foods, I was looking at a couple hundred thousand positions that I wasn’t eligible to apply for. It was extremely defeating.”