64% Oppose Firing Someone for Off-Hours Marijuana Use in States Where it’s Legal

A new poll finds 64 percent of Americans say it is unacceptable for a company to fire employees for using marijuana during their free time in states where the drug has been legalized.

The same percentage of adults say it is unacceptable for a company to fire employees for drinking alcohol during their free time, the Los Angeles Times reports. The poll was conducted by HuffPost/YouGov.

When the question about marijuana use did not specify whether the drug was legal in the state, 45 percent of adults said it was unacceptable to fire someone for using the drug during their free time.

Conflicting state and federal laws have created confusion about marijuana in the workplace, the article notes. Some workers have sued their employers after being fired for after-hours marijuana use. In 2010, Dish Network fired a phone operator for failing a random drug test. The employee, a medical marijuana user, sued Dish. The Colorado Court of Appeals found there is no employment protection for medical marijuana, because marijuana is illegal under federal law.