Condo Media - November 2017 - 42
Medical MarijuanaRIGHTS
BACKGROUND
Barbuto was offered a job with ASM,
and was advised that she would be
required to take a drug test. Barbuto
told ASM that she would test positive
for marijuana because she was using
marijuana prescribed by her physician
to treat Crohn's disease. Barbuto told
ASM that she did not use marijuana
daily, nor would she consume it before or
during work. Barbuto took the drug test
and tested positive for marijuana. After
her first day at work, ASM terminated
Barbuto because of a positive test for
marijuana. ASM told Barbuto that they
did not care if she was using marijuana
to treat her condition, because ASM "follows federal law not state law."
Barbuto filed a complaint against
ASM, alleging handicap discrimination under G.L. c. 151B; interference
with the right to be protected against
handicap discrimination; and denial of
"right or privilege" to use marijuana as a
registered patient to treat a debilitating
condition.
The SJC rejected some of Barbuto's
claims, but concluded that Barbuto was
entitled to pursue claims against ASM
for discrimination, following her termination based on her use of marijuana.
THE SJC'S DECISION
The SJC considered the language of
G.L. c. 151B, s. 4, which states that it is an
"unlawful practice ... [f ]or an employer
... to dismiss from employment or refuse
to hire ... because of [her] handicap, any
person alleging to be a qualified handicapped person, capable of performing
the essential functions of the position
involved with a reasonable accommodation, unless the employer can demonstrate that the accommodation required
to be made to the physical or mental
limitations of the person would impose
an undue hardship to the employer's
business." As it relates to condominiums,
similar language appears in G.L. c. 151B,
making it unlawful for a housing provider to refuse a resident's request for an
accommodation to the condominium's
rules and restrictions "when such ac-
42
CONDOMEDIA
commodation may be necessary to afford
a handicapped person equal opportunity
to use and enjoy a dwelling."
As Barbuto suffers from Crohn's
disease, the SJC determined that she
was handicapped pursuant to G.L. c.
151B. The SJC considered whether
Barbuto met the definition of a "qualified handicapped person" under G.L.
c. 151B, meaning that she is capable of
performing the essential functions of the
job with a reasonable accommodation.
The Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination guidelines provide that
a reasonable accommodation is "any adjustment or modification to a job (or the
way a job is done), employment practice
or work environment that makes it possible for a handicapped individual to perform essential functions of the position
and to enjoy equal terms, conditions, and
benefits of employment." For condominiums faced with this issue, a reasonable
accommodation at a condominium is an
exception or waiver of a restriction, rule,
or policy when such waiver is necessary
for a disabled individual to enjoy his/her
dwelling unit.
The SJC concluded that Barbuto
met the definition of a "qualified handicapped person." Importantly, Barbuto
was not seeking an accommodation to
use marijuana at work. The Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Act does not
require "any accommodation of on-site
medical use of marijuana in any place
of employment." Rather, Barbuto was
simply seeking a waiver of ASM's policy
barring anyone who tests positive for
marijuana at their drug screening, from
being employed by ASM.
Once a request for an accommodation is made, the employer or housing
provider has a duty to engage in an
"interactive process with the employee
[or resident]". The SJC reasoned that
if an employer had a policy prohibiting
the use of medication (even if lawfully
prescribed), the employer is obligated to
engage in an interactive process to determine whether there are any alternative
medications available to the employee
which would not violate the employer's
drug policy. Where no alternatives exist,
the employer has the burden of proving
that the employee's use of medication
would cause undue hardship to the employer's business.
In rejecting ASM's claims that it was
not obligated to grant the accommodation because the possession of marijuana
is a federal crime and therefore per se
unreasonable, the SJC noted that Barbuto would be the only person subject to
federal prosecution in connection with
her possession of marijuana because she
would not be using it at the workplace
and ASM would not be in joint possession or liable for aiding and abetting
Barbuto's use of marijuana off-site. This
point by the SJC may have implications
for the use of marijuana by residents in
a condominium. If the SJC's reasoning
is applied to condominiums, then a
condominium board may not be able to
prohibit a resident from using medical
marijuana within their unit, simply
because the possession of marijuana is a
federal crime.
As Barbuto was able to establish that
her use of marijuana was not on its face
unreasonable, the SJC remanded the
case back to the trial court where ASM
will have to show that Barbuto's use of
marijuana is not a reasonable accommodation because it would impose an
undue hardship on ASM's business.
Condo Media - November 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - November 2017
Table of Contents
Condo Media - November 2017 - Cover1
Condo Media - November 2017 - Cover2
Condo Media - November 2017 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - November 2017 - 2
Condo Media - November 2017 - 3
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