Ten employees of a Hobby Lobby in Denver, Colorado were fired yesterday after failing a surprise drug test. David Green, the creator of the nationwide arts & crafts franchise and the man behind the test, was suspicious his workers would be tempted to smoke or ingest marijuana on the infamous date, April twentieth. 4/20 has become synonymous with getting high for reasons still not entirely known. But as the failed drug tests proved, the tradition stands strong.
“We are a wholesome business,” said Mr. Green on the subject. “Good Christian family values are what matter to us most. There’s no place in our work model for illicit substances. You hear the youth talking about how they’re going to spend their ‘420’s,’ how many brownies they’re going to eat. I needed to weed out the people who dared participate in such a holiday.”
The displaced workers are looking to file a lawsuit against Hobby Lobby, arguing that what they were doing was not illegal.
“In Denver, marijuana is legal for recreational consumption outside of the workplace,” said Marty Fink, one of the fired employees. “I am very passionate about Hobby Lobby, from the colorful yarn to the tasteful frames. But I will not let the business bully us for something that’s not even a crime.”
Mr. Green’s lawyers said that employees don’t solely get fired for breaking the law. They can also be let go if their behaviors are considered “amoral.” Hobby Lobby has a long history of winning battles based on religious morals. In a notorious legal case, the company attempted to halt regulations that would force emergency contraception to be provided in their health care plans for workers. In the end, they won the case and the right to be exempt from this regulation because of their religious beliefs.
“It’s just not right,” Marty said in response to David Green’s attorneys. “Religion should have nothing to do with what I do on my off-time. And if I lose this case and don’t have a job, how will I pay for pot then?”
