BILL WOULD BAR EMPLOYERS FROM FIRING MEDI-POT USERS

California voters rejected marijuana legalization last November, and
now a state senator is attempting to pass a piece of the initiative
through the legislature.

Senate Bill 129 -- introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D- San Francisco) --
would restrict employers from firing or refusing to hire employees
based on a positive marijuana test if the employee is a medical
marijuana user. Employers would still be able to fire employees for
using or being under the influence of marijuana on the job, its
language states.

"When Californians approved the compassionate use of cannabis (with
Prop 215), they never intended for it to apply only to unemployed
people," Leno said after recently introducing the bill late last
month. It passed the California Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

Nevada County District Attorney Cliff Newell opposes the bill for many
of the same reasons he opposed Proposition 19, which would have
legalized marijuana use for Californians and included the intent of
SB129, he said.

"It's another short-sighted, harebrained bill that makes no sense,"
Newell said. "It further legitimizes the use of marijuana where it may
not be called for."

The bill's backers, which includes the Yes on 19 campaign, argue
current laws allow employers to discriminate against medical marijuana
patients, Yes on 19 representatives said in an e-mail to The Union.

In November, Prop. 19 lost 56.7 to 43.3 percent in Nevada County and
53.9 to 46.1 in the state as a whole.

The bill is still being discussed in the Senate, according to the
state Senate website.