Judge: Firm can mandate drug test for medical marijuana user

BRIDGETON, N.J. – A federal court judge has ruled that a New Jersey business doesn’t have to waive its mandatory drug testing requirement for a worker who uses medical marijuana.

Daniel Cotto had filed a discrimination lawsuit against Bridgeton-based Ardagh Glass last year. He was a forklift operator there for six years before he was let go in August 2017.

Cotto said he had told company officials when he was hired that he used medical marijuana for pain from a 2007 injury. After being hurt on the job in November 2016, he claimed the company wouldn’t let him return to work unless he submitted to breathalyzer and urine screenings.

The company argued that the state’s medical marijuana law doesn’t require employers to waive drug tests for substances that are illegal under federal law.