January 28, 2005 The Drug Policy Alliance has publicly criticized Michigan-based health insurance company, Weyco Inc for firing four employees for smoking cigarettes — either at work or in the privacy of their homes.
The Alliance has been speaking out on radio programs across the country about the risks associated with such guidelines, which far outweigh the good intentions.
The Alliance and other critics find the policy flawed for several reasons — one of which is that it makes no distinction between those who smoke addictively and those who have the occasional cigarette.
But the bottom line is that it’s wrong to fire people who choose to do something in their time away from the workplace as long as it doesn’t impact job performance or put their coworkers in harms way.
