Current:Home > ScamsVermont medical marijuana user fired after drug test loses appeal over unemployment benefits -MarketStream
Vermont medical marijuana user fired after drug test loses appeal over unemployment benefits
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:05:47
A Vermont man who was fired from his job after he said a random drug test showed he used medical marijuana while off duty for chronic pain has lost his appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court over unemployment benefits.
Ivo Skoric, representing himself, told the justices at his hearing in May that he is legally prescribed medical cannabis by a doctor and that his work performance is not affected by the medicine. On Jan. 9, 2023, he was terminated from his part-time job cleaning and fueling buses at Marble Valley Regional Transit District in Rutland for misconduct after a drug test.
His job was a “safety sensitive” position, and he was required to possess a commercial driver’s license and operate buses on occasion, the Supreme Court wrote. After the results of the drug test, he was terminated for violating U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration regulation, the court wrote.
Skoric appealed to the state after he was found to be ineligible for unemployment benefits, but the Vermont Employment Security Board agreed with an administrative law judge, saying that Skoric engaged in conduct prohibited by the employer’s drug and alcohol policy and that because he was discharged for misconduct, he was disqualified from those benefits.
He told the Supreme Court justices in May that he should not have to choose between state benefits and the medical care the state granted him to use. The ACLU of Vermont, also representing Disability Rights Vermont and Criminal Justice Reform, also argued the benefits should not be denied.
Skoric sought a declaratory ruling on whether the misconduct disqualification applied to the off-duty use of medical cannabis, but the state declined to provide one. In its decision Friday, the Vermont Supreme Court said that the Labor Department “properly declined to issue a declaratory ruling” on the matter, noting that “his violation of written workplace policy stood as an independent source of disqualifying misconduct.”
Skoric said Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision did not address the merits of his case.
“It does not discuss whether an employee who is medical cannabis patient in Vermont has the right to use cannabis in the off-hours,” he said by email.
veryGood! (26223)
Related
- Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
- Eclipse cloud cover forecasts and maps show where skies will clear up for April 8's celestial show
- 'A blessing no one was hurt': Collapsed tree nearly splits school bus in half in Mississippi
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests Jan. 6 prosecutions politically motivated, says he wants to hear every side
- Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
- 11 injured as bus carrying University of South Carolina fraternity crashes in Mississippi
- Michael Douglas shocked to find out Scarlett Johansson is his DNA cousin
- Mayorkas denounces Gov. Abbott's efforts to fortify border with razor wire, says migrants easily cutting barriers
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Forbes billionaires under 30 all inherited their wealth for first time in 15 years
Ranking
- Drones warned New York City residents about storm flooding. The Spanish translation was no bueno
- These Facts About Candace Cameron Bure Won't Fill Your House but They'll Expand Your Mind
- South Carolina women’s hoops coach Dawn Staley says transgender athletes should be allowed to play
- Air ambulance crew administered drug to hot air balloon pilot after crash that killed 4, report says
- Small twin
- 'Eternal symphony of rock': KISS sells catalog to Swedish company for $300 million: Reports
- These Facts About Candace Cameron Bure Won't Fill Your House but They'll Expand Your Mind
- Donovan Clingan powering Connecticut as college basketball's 'most impactful player'
Recommendation
USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
Hannah Stuelke, not Caitlin Clark, carries Iowa to championship game with South Carolina
Is Nicole Richie Ready for Baby No. 3 With Joel Madden? She Says...
SWAT team responding to Arkansas shopping mall, police ask public to avoid the area
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
The total solar eclipse is Monday: Here's everything to know, including time, path, safety
Forbes billionaires under 30 all inherited their wealth for first time in 15 years
NASCAR at Martinsville spring 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Cook Out 400