When taking medicinal marijuana would you think about the consequence of possibly losing your job? Medicinal marijuana, which is legal in 23 states, including Iowa, has been causing workers in these states to fail their drug tests or to be fired for violating their company’s drug-free policy.

If you are ever applying to a job, it will be a smart idea to stay away from using marijuana because drug tests can occur at random times. When taking a drug test, you will most likely have to provide a urine or a hair sample. For heavy users, marijuana can stay inside a person’s system for up to 30 days. If marijuana appears on a drug test, you can kiss that job goodbye. Even though marijuana is completely legal in Washington and Colorado if you’re 21 or older, that does not mean you will receive different treatment from your company and its drug policy.

However, users for medical and recreational reasons are receiving the same penalty from their employers even though they are using marijuana for different reasons. Medical marijuana is commonly used to help treat multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, and seizure disorders.

It can be looked at from two different angles. Since recreational use is legal in Colorado, residents of Colorado could argue that they are breaking no rules and that they should receive no penalty for using marijuana.

On the other hand, you could argue there are nationwide companies that allow for marijuana and some that don’t. Companies on a national scale should have the same drug policy for all locations as the state’s laws dictate. If it’s legal to get high in Colorado then companies should not be able to fire you for what is legal in that state.