Spokane Man Threatened With Termination for Buying Pot — Why He’s a Hero

Mike Boyer made news Tuesday for being the first man in Spokane to buy marijuana after sale of it was made legal that morning. He took a day off work and spent 20 hours in line to be first. Then he made news Wednesday for saying the media coverage had cost him his job. Many are laughing at his stupidity, but I think he's a hero, and here's why:

Actually, before I explain why, let me clarify that Mr. Boyer appears to have three part-time jobs. One called him concerned but has not fired him yet. One allegedly fired him, but then changed its mind.

The story goes that after seeing him on the TV, his employers called him in for a drug test in the morning enforcing a drug-free policy.

If I'm to understand this correctly, this would mean he's in trouble for doing something that's legal on his own time and NOT when he's at work.

The problem with tests for THC is the effects of euphoria last about 20-30 minutes but the THC stays in your blood for a long, long time. If I just smoked a couple of hits, the THC would still register in my blood for a week.

So days after I smoke I could be fired for being stoned on the job? That's just ignorance people!

People fear what they don't understand. And that's why Mr. Boyer is a hero. He exercised his legal right in a responsible way and then was unapologetic when someone tried to accuse him of being a bad employee.

Some subjects like marijuana use are discussed in whispers and considered seedy. For the health of society we need to shine a light on this darkness and get these questions out in the open for people to supply real answers.

Marijuana --  What does it do? How does it affect people? What are the long-term effects? How should mom and dad talk about it with the kids?

And then when we have answers let's get a logical approach to the subject. When the federal government says it will not pursue pot users because it's not a big threat, but then vows to spend millions encouraging people not to smoke, what message does that send?

So thank you Mr. Boyer for raising some good points so the national media and employers everywhere can ask some questions and get some answers.