MTA worker demoted, forced into counseling over legal medical marijuana use: suit

An MTA employee statements he’s been demoted, subjected to random drug screening and pressured to go to drug counseling 4 moments a 7 days — since he legally takes advantage of medicinal marijuana.

Myles Watson, 44, sued for monetary damages in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Friday, boasting he was demoted in excess of his weed practice which “needs to be accommodated associated to his disabilities,” the fit reported.

Watson “could operate any job with his professional medical cannabis prescription as he would not use his medicine when functioning and there are no lingering results that would reduce him from accomplishing the essential capabilities of his work,” the suit said.

In his fit, Watson claimed he began making use of pot soon after becoming wounded in a 2017 car crash. MTA officials uncovered the weed use right after a March 2019 drug take a look at, suspended him and forced him to go to rehab.

A second crash that December spurred Watson to start off utilizing CBD — a chemical located in marijuana that not psychoactive and is lawful to sell and use.

Still Watson was caught by a different drug examination in Oct 2020 and suspended once more. He then obtained a legal marijuana card to take care of recently identified Crohn’s condition. MTA officials denied him an accommodation for the drug and despatched him back again to rehab and counseling.

According to his go well with, Watson, a seven-calendar year MTA veteran who labored as a phone maintainer and fiber optic technician, lost his motor vehicle and his daughters’ wellness insurance policy and almost had to give up his household though serving the unpaid suspension.

Transit officers ultimately authorized him to return to do the job — but as a lower compensated station cleaner. He is prohibited from applying even his prescribed health-related cannabis and proceeds to attend obligatory drug tests three occasions a week, the go well with claimed.

“Myles Watson has suffered financial damages, suffering and suffering and psychological injuries by reason of the discrimination, carelessness, recklessness, carelessness and retaliation of NYC and NYCTA,” in accordance to the match 1st documented by Brooklyn Paper.

New York legalized leisure marijuana very last 12 months.

An MTA spokesman declined to comment on pending litigation.

Added reporting by Priscilla DeGregory