UN Official Rips US States Over Legal Pot Policies
Photo Credit: Reuters
A Russian diplomat who heads the United Nations’ drug policy office reportedly chided U.S. states for legalizing recreational marijuana and vowed to take up his concerns with officials in Washington — in the latest incident of a U.N. official meddling in local U.S. affairs.
In response, one American advocacy group suggested the U.N. agency has no authority here, and has outlived its usefulness.
Yury Fedotov, director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, addressed the ballot measures on Wednesday, on the heels of last week’s midterm elections. Last Tuesday, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., voters approved measures allowing marijuana use – following the pot path blazed by Colorado and Washington state.
But according to Reuters, Fedotov told reporters that the moves defy international drug “conventions.”
“I don’t see how [the laws] can be compatible with existing conventions,” he reportedly said, claiming he would take it up with State Department and U.N. officials next week.
Read more from this story HERE.
______________________________________________________________________
Photo Credit: M.Scott Mahaskey / POLITICO
By MICHELLE R. SMITH.
A graduate student has sued a textile company for refusing to hire her for a two-month internship because she uses medical marijuana to treat frequent and debilitating migraine headaches, a decision her lawyer calls discrimination.
Christine Callaghan, who is studying textiles at the University of Rhode Island, sued Westerly-based Darlington Fabrics Corp. and its parent, the Moore Company, on Wednesday. The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Callaghan, said it believes it’s the first lawsuit of its kind in the state.
A lawyer for the company, Timothy Cavazza, said it had not yet been served with the lawsuit and it was company policy not to comment on litigation. He added that they were confident they acted in compliance with state and federal law and that the lawsuit would be dismissed.
Carly Iafrate, the attorney who filed the lawsuit for Callaghan, said if employers are allowed to discriminate against medical marijuana patients, then its legalization would become “an empty promise.”
“People with disabilities simply cannot be denied equal employment opportunities on the basis of the type of medication required to treat their particular condition,” she said.
Read more from this story HERE.
