Cheryl Hale's 16-year career at a Washington state retail store came to an end about a year and a half ago when an on-the-job injury forced her to submit to a drug test. She tested positive for THC, the psychoactive agent in marijuana, and was fired for breaching the company's zero-tolerance policy.
But Hale told Washington's KOMO in a recent report that she never used cannabis, and that the results of the oral swab and subsequent blood test were instead affected by her second-hand exposure to her husband's frequent medical marijuana use.
"There is this huge grey area where there's a lot of people who are contaminated from second-hand smoke," Hale said in an interview KOMO's Matt Markovich, saying that losing her job had devastated the couple financially. "Companies need to realize that it's not just black and white anymore."
Markovich attempted to test Hale's claim by exposing himself to second-hand pot smoke in order to determine if he would similarly test positive for THC on an oral swab, and then for trace amounts in a blood test. He began by joining Hale's husband in their small bedroom while he smoked marijuana:
Cheryl Hale, Washington Woman: I Was Fired For Failing Drug Test After Second-Hand Pot Exposure
Never thought of this before!
But Hale told Washington's KOMO in a recent report that she never used cannabis, and that the results of the oral swab and subsequent blood test were instead affected by her second-hand exposure to her husband's frequent medical marijuana use.
"There is this huge grey area where there's a lot of people who are contaminated from second-hand smoke," Hale said in an interview KOMO's Matt Markovich, saying that losing her job had devastated the couple financially. "Companies need to realize that it's not just black and white anymore."
Markovich attempted to test Hale's claim by exposing himself to second-hand pot smoke in order to determine if he would similarly test positive for THC on an oral swab, and then for trace amounts in a blood test. He began by joining Hale's husband in their small bedroom while he smoked marijuana:
Cheryl Hale, Washington Woman: I Was Fired For Failing Drug Test After Second-Hand Pot Exposure
Never thought of this before!
