Over Christmas break of the 2014-2015 school year, Maryam Roland went to Colorado and ate an edible marijuana product – something perfectly legal under state law. But then she returned to El Paso – where she’s a teacher – and failed a drug test, she ran into some trouble.
The State Board of Educator Certification sought to suspend her license for two years but her lawyers argued that she’d done nothing wrong. Earlier this month, an administrative judge agreed with her in an opinion written earlier this month.
Eric Dexheimer, a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, followed the story. He says that this is a licensing case rather than an employment case, which complicates matters.
“An employer still has the right to fire an employee if he or she fails a drug test for marijuana because the federal law trumps the state law,” Dexheimer says, “this is still unmarked territory.”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– Where Roland’s case goes next
– Will this case set a precedent for Texas and other states where marijuana is illegal?
– How marijuana advocates feel about this ruling
Written by Emma Whalen.
