Florida Educator Injured by Student, Then Fired for Treating Pain with Legal THC
A Florida high school teacher who had been pushed on school stairs by a student was fired by her school district for using medical cannabis, which is legal in Florida, to treat the pain.
Allison Enright, the teacher at Space Coast Junior/Senior High School in Brevard County had "had confronted the student for disobeying rules related to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the school" when the student pushed her, causing severe injuries.
During her recovery, she chose to manage her pain with cannabis instead of highly addictive opioids. As reported in Florida Today, "Before taking medical marijuana, she said she took opioids and sometimes had to use a wheelchair due to several health conditions causing pain and weakness."
It would seem like a sensible alternative: not only is medical cannabis legal in the State of Florida, but the dangers of opioids are well-known. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports 49,860 opioid overdose deaths in the US in 2019 alone.
Nevertheless, the school board voted 3-2 to fire Enright, citing fear that "drug use" by staff would put federal grants and funding at risk.
The battle line between state-legal and federally-illegal cannabis remains fraught with casualties. This time, a dedicated teacher lost her job and possibly her career. A few months ago, another Florida high school fired a dean of students and military veteran taking medical cannabis for chronic pain caused by a combat wound.
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