Letter to Wal-Mart regarding employee firing for medical marijuana use

I just submitted the following message to Wal-Mart via their corporate website (Walmartstores.com: Feedback).

Hello.

My family and I are very regular customers of your store at 735 Whitfield Drive in Columbus, Indiana.

I was disappointed to read the following stories of your firing of Joseph Casias, 2008 Associate of the Year at your store in Battle Creek, Michigan, because he used medical marijuana for the relief of pain from his sinus cancer and brain tumor.

Wal-Mart Fires Associate Of Year, Cancer Patient For Medical Marijuana

Let’s Teach Wal-Mart A Lesson About Medical Marijuana

It would not surprise me if there is more to this situation than was reported in those stories, but the following points nevertheless apply.

I have never used marijuana in my life, but it bothers me no more to hear that one of your associates uses marijuana for pain relief than it would to hear that they were on any other form of prescription pain medicine.

As long as they serve me safely, courteously, and efficiently while at work, I care about as little whether Wal-Mart associates use marijuana in the privacy of their own home as I do about whether they have a glass of wine with their dinner or smoke a cigarette on their break.

I urge you to consider re-evaluating your corporate policies on this matter.

Sincerely,
Bill Starr
Sat, 27 Mar 2010, 4:04 pm EDT