Colorado Supreme Court rules employees can be fired for smoking pot off-duty

Joint
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Just because Colorado has legalized recreational pot doesn't mean employers have to tolerate their workers smoking it in their free time, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic and a medical marijuana patient, was fired from his job at Dish Network in 2010 after he failed a random drug test. Even though Dish acknowledges that Coats wasn't high on the job, the company maintains its strict, zero-tolerance drug policy for employees. Monday's ruling means Coats is not entitled to reinstatement at Dish.

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Stephanie Talmadge

Stephanie is an editorial assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Modern Luxury Media.