Employers In Maine Might Not Hire You Because Of Your Weed Card

In some ways, it's hard to imagine that there's still a reason to need your medical cannabis card since it's now legal to use recreationally in Maine. But from folks I've talked to about it, there seems to be plenty of incentive to keep it. There's some dispensaries that are cheaper for med users, among other small perks.

The biggest perk of all though, is that it does offer you a certain layer of protection in the workplace. And that reason alone seems to be why many folks choose to maintain their medical status. Despite being legal here, there are no protections in place for people in the work force. You could still be tested, and turned away from a prospective new job.

Here's where it gets sticky though. According to WGME, legally no one can be turned away from a new job specifically because of their "legal" status. However... if hiring you could cause them to lose a federal contract or something like that, they might not hire you. Of course, they may come up with many other reasons instead.

Tammie Snow, an attorney who specializes in Maine cannabis law, says most businesses will find other reasons instead of that. This is how she explained it to WGME:

So, they drug test, THC shows up, very often they can say well there's this other reason we didn't hire this person so there's that protection, but if employers don't want to hire them, they will find a way.

So while your medical status does provide you with a certain amount of protection, it does not necessarily mean you're guaranteed anything, as employers will find a way to do whatever suits them best. Not to mention Maine is an at-will-employment state. That means, within reason, you can be not hired/fired for just about anything under the sun.

Some companies here in Maine simply don't care about weed at all anymore and don't even test for it, such as Bath Iron Works and MaineHealth. And the national attitude is constantly evolving. Soon, none of this may be an issue. But for now, don't ever count your chickens before they hatch.