The U.S. Supreme Court tackled a case on Tuesday involving a New York state man who was fired from his job as a commercial truck driver for failing a drug test after taking cannabidiol, or CBD, that he said was falsely sold as lacking the psychoactive ingredient present in marijuana.
The justices heard an appeal led by Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA.PK) of a lower court’s decision allowing plaintiff Douglas Horn to bring a civil lawsuit against the San Diego, California-based company under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This 1970 federal law was designed to crack down on organized crime and its economic impact.
The civil provisions of the law permit triple damages for successful lawsuits by “any person injured in his business or property” as a result of certain actions by a defendant.
Horn, who was ailing from injuries sustained in a trucking accident, in 2012 purchased a CBD tincture called Dixie X. It was advertised as a natural pain reliever containing no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that causes a high.
After a random drug test ordered by his employer detected THC in his system, Horn was fired from his trucking job that he had held for more than a decade. Horn has said he is not a marijuana user. [Read More @ Reuters]