Mike Boyer made a big splash on Tuesday when he became the first person to buy state-licensed weed in Spokane. Then he made an even bigger splash nationally and internationally when he posted his resume on Craigslist later Tuesday stating:

“I lost my job due to the news coverage of me being the FIRST PERSON TO BUY MARIJUANA LEGALLY IN SPOKANE! I regret nothing. But now im jobless and have decided to post my resume …”

Right about then news organizations on the Internets took over, started cannibalizing each other, and the story became too confused to figure out … so we gave him a call and here’s how he says it all went down.

First, the good news for Boyer, the temp agency that was giving him 40 hours a week working in the auto-auction industry — TrueBlue Labor Ready — has, he told us, given him his job back and will pay him for the day he missed, Wednesday. Boyer accepted the job and pay.

Here’s how it all played out according to Boyer:

He’s shown buying the first legal marijuana sold at Spokane Green Leaf on Tuesday. He’s shown on one news station smoking what appears to be marijuana: “We followed him back home with his weed as he enjoyed his first smoke,” said KREM’s reporter (vide at bottom of story). “Now okay in the state of Washington.” Apparently, a client of TrueBlue sees Boyer on television at the marijuana grand opening and complains. Boyer says that at 2 p.m. he bought the weed and at 2:40 got a text from TrueBlue telling him he had 24 hours to take a drug/urine test or he’d be fired. He said he called TrueBlue and told them he would fail the test and they told him he would be terminated. He also got a phone call on Tuesday from a part-time employer Kodiak Security telling him he had to take a drug/urine test … which he said he did take on Wednesday morning. He said he waited until Wednesday so that he would not be driving under the influence. Then the media storm hit … and the story got more and more convoluted. Thursday morning, he said, TrueBlue called him and asked him to come into the office. He assumed it was to make his termination official, but instead they offered him his job back because he was not high on the job and had used on his legitimate day off. The Spokesman Review reported, “Kym Ramey, human resources manager for Kodiak, said that Boyer, who has worked there for several weeks, is still employed by the firm.” Boyer has not heard form Kodiak (as of this writing) and thinks Kodiak is waiting for the test results before contacted him. The Associated Press got a hold of TrueBlue: “Stacey Burke, a spokeswoman Tacoma-based TrueBlue, says company policy prohibits being under the influence on the job. She said there’s no reason he would have been fired for having bought the pot, nor would the purchase have given the company reason to order him to take a drug test. She says the company is looking into Boyer’s claims, and that if he was fired outside of protocol, he would be reinstated.” Thursday morning the snake ate its tail when we called Boyer and got him to spell it all out for us.

So, Boyer — who fast became the poster-smoker for complications surrounding employment and the now-legally available marijuana — has his main job back and doesn’t blame his employer for the confusion.

The mixup, he said, is just “part of the times” and that “we’ve now made a huge hurdle, and we have to now finish out the race and get down to the fine print” of what is and isn’t acceptable for employment.









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Image 1of/20 Caption Close Image 2 of 20 Marijuana is a drug and its affects can be very predictable ... as in, if you are inexperienced and have too much you'll end up freaked out. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd tried a marijuana infused candy bar and ... well ... But then I felt a scary shudder go through my body and brain. I barely made it from the desk to the bed, where I lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours. I was thirsty but couldn’t move to get water. Or even turn off the lights. I was panting and paranoid, sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I didn’t answer, he’d call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy. I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. As my paranoia deepened, I became convinced that I had died and no one was telling me. less Marijuana is a drug and its affects can be very predictable ... as in, if you are inexperienced and have too much you'll end up freaked out. New York Times columnist ... more Image 3 of 20 Repeat: If you are in a state that doesn't allow possession of marijuana ... don't call them with a complaint about marijuana you have or lost or want to claim. The Associated Press has the report: Police in East Texas have arrested a woman after she called them to complain about the quality of the marijuana she had purchased from a dealer. Lufkin police Sgt. David Casper said Monday that an officer went to the home of 37-year-old Evelyn Hamilton to hear her complaint that the dealer refused to return her money after she objected that the drug was substandard. Casper says she pulled the small amount of marijuana from her bra when the officer asked if she still had it. She was arrested Friday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Hamilton said Monday that she spent $40 on "seeds and residue." She says she called police when she got no satisfaction from the dealer's family. A booking photo provided by the Angelina County Jail shows 37-year-old Evelyn Hamilton ... who is in the photo, we're sure, rethinking her complaint to police. less Repeat: If you are in a state that doesn't allow possession of marijuana ... don't call them with a complaint about marijuana you have or lost or want to claim. The Associated Press has the ... more Image 4 of 20 Stop us if you’ve heard this one: The police chief who forgot to check his facts … perhaps they should go back into his court testimonies and fact check those, too? Annapolis, Md., police chief Michael Pristoop hates marijuana and hates the idea of its legalization and really really hates that it kills … The Capital Gazette has the story: “The first day of legalization, that’s when Colorado experienced 37 deaths that day from overdose on marijuana,” Pristoop testified at Tuesday’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing. “I remember the first day it was decriminalized there were 37 deaths.” Luckily, there was a state senator around to set him straight. In case you missed that hoax story by the Daily Currant, here’s the best part: "It's complete chaos here," says Dr. Jack Shepard, chief of surgery at St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver. "I've put five college students in body bags since breakfast and more are arriving every minute.” (Image: Annapolis Police Department) less Stop us if you’ve heard this one: The police chief who forgot to check his facts … perhaps they should go back into his court testimonies and fact check those, too? Annapolis, Md., police ... more Image 5 of 20 Image 6 of 20 Yes, Virginia, there is no pot brownies at Colorado Rockies or Mariners games. Apparently the awesome news of being able to buy pot brownies at a pro-baseball game in Colorado attracted some anxious attention was too good to be true. Alas, as The International Digital Times says in its story on Sunday “Colorado Rockies Serving Marijuana Brownies At Baseball Games? Story Of Weed-Filled Concessions Trolls Social Media,” that can’t happen. And, of course, for more reasons than just that it’s a really bad idea. Legally, marijuana and any products that include it can only be sold in licensed marijuana stores. Those stores can’t be located in something like a baseball stadium either. I know! less Yes, Virginia, there is no pot brownies at Colorado Rockies or Mariners games. Apparently the ... more Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images Image 7 of 20 Politicians against marijuana are fine. In fact, lots of people are worried about legalization and its effects. So, great. Politicians should represent everyone and so on … But BS is BS. The Washington Post fills in the rest: Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) has some advice for other governors about legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. Be cautious and go slow. "We're going to not use this as a source of revenue to help education or expanding health care," he said. "We're going to use it in health care where it will relate to marijuana activity … I don't think governors should be the position of promoting things that are inherently not good for people." Oh! You mean like the COLORADO LOTTERY? less Politicians against marijuana are fine. In fact, lots of people are worried about legalization and its effects. So, great. Politicians should represent everyone and so on … But BS is BS. ... more Image 8 of 20 Just tryin to chill out a little Apparently the igloo WAS for hiding out and smoking pot. But still. They are college students and it’s probably better than if they were driving off somewhere to smoke and then driving back. But, the rulz is the rulz. Details come from the Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City: A University of Utah Campus Police officer was on patrol and found the makeshift igloo with four U of U students inside, who were allegedly smoking marijuana. The igloo was found in a wooded area near Red Butte Creek on January 31, and the officer initially thought it might have been a homeless camp. Photo: This Jan. 31, 2014 image provided by the University of Utah Police Department shows an igloo after campus police discovered four University of Utah student smoking marijuana inside, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/University of Utah Police Department) less Just tryin to chill out a little Apparently the igloo WAS for hiding out and smoking pot. But still. They are college students and it’s probably better than if they were driving off ... more Photo: Uncredited / ASSOCIATED PRESS Image 9 of 20 Speaking of college kids and marijuana, this student apparently forgot to Febreze the scene. As The Stranger writes: “Administrators at University of Washington Bothell are taking disciplinary action against a disc jockey at UWave Radio, the student-run internet radio station. His offense? Campus security alleges he smelled like marijuana during a broadcast. The incident occurred January 29, when senior communications major Justin McMahon was in the middle of Half Baked History, a show designed to reduce the stigma and fear around marijuana—irony he recognizes.” When it comes to marijuana, there will be no IRONY! Or, none that’ll help you keep your gig. Serious issue: You do not have protection against being fired for marijuana use … medical or recreational. less Speaking of college kids and marijuana, this student apparently forgot to Febreze the scene. ... more Photo: Maria Pavlova / Getty Images/Vetta Image 10 of 20 Image 11 of 20 You get an “A” for effort and an “A” for originality and an “F” for execution. This guy was trying to help a buddy out. So, he taped some marijuana to an arrow and shot it at a window … The Bellingham Herald takes it from here: A civilian employed by the sheriff's office saw (the shooter) get out of his red Ford pickup at 8:40 a.m. on the south side of the (Whatcom County Jail), with a hunting bow and arrow. He fired the marijuana missile upward toward a mesh screen near the top of the second-floor, fresh-air exercise area for inmates, (the sheriff) said. If fired at a perfect angle, the sheriff added, an arrow might squeeze through the screen. But, apparently, this marksman was no Robin Hood. The arrow — along with a few grams of marijuana and a yet-to-be-identified substance — missed its target and landed on the roof. (The guy) fled the scene in his Ford, but the civilian employee wrote down its license plate … less You get an “A” for effort and an “A” for originality and an “F” for execution. This guy was trying to help a buddy out. So, he taped some marijuana to an arrow and shot it at a ... more Photo: Kelvin Murray / Getty Images Image 12 of 20 This awards category is called “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much.” Over the years, we see a lot of these sorts of things. Someone has a brain fart when they see a police advert saying, “Hey, someone left their pot at the police station” and goes in to claim it. Or, as in this case, uses marijuana in front of a police camera … while on the job at the police station … News Channel 4 in Oklahoma has the story: Police reports state an officer was unable to make contact with Carnegie Police Department dispatch on the two-way radio and police say surveillance video shows why no one was answering. In the video you can see her standing near the garage door opening and after about nine minutes goes back inside the police department. (The officer checked on her and sniffed a problem …) The officer … confronted (the dispatcher) about the smell and she finally admitted to smoking pot on the job and gave the officer a small tin container with two and a half joints. Well, hell. less This awards category is called “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much.” Over the years, we see a lot of these sorts of things. Someone has a brain fart when they see a police advert ... more Image 13 of 20 Awards category: “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much” and film it on an illegal cell phone … News Channel 3 in Memphis has the story: Sneaking in a cell phone inside a penal facility like the Shelby County Corrections Center is a big deal, but what else he has his hands on is almost unbelievable. In one of the video clips the inmate says, “I’m going to give ya’ll an episode, a preview of all this scrumptious items that we got that we eat on a daily basis.” … As he kisses a bag of what he says is marijuana and lights one up, he says they need a lot of food because all the smoking they do in prison makes them hungry. There is never any mention of the many prison guards that are supposedly watching them. It’s all currently under investigation at the corrections center. Or, maybe they’re passing one around the guardhouse. less Awards category: “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much” and film it on an illegal cell phone … News ... more Image 14 of 20 Repeat: Do not video yourself in the middle of your illegal pot farm and post it to YouTube. The police have people in their office who do nothing but watch YouTube all day long … mostly looking for illegal cat videos, but sometimes they get lucky. The NY Daily News has this one: A Connecticut man busted on a slew of drug charges after posting a video online that featured him walking through his marijuana garden said cops never found his secret pot farm during the recent raid. … (The man) was collared (however) for a stash of drugs that included 2 pounds of weed, 20 grams of hashish, 2 bags of cocaine and drug paraphernalia found in a storage unit … months after cops spotted the video posted on Youtube last October. less Repeat: Do not video yourself in the middle of your illegal pot farm and post it to YouTube. The police have people in their office who do nothing but watch YouTube all day long … mostly looking ... more Image 15 of 20 Image 16 of 20 Speaking of police watching cats … this time in Moldova the cops spotted a cat coming into the prison yard wearing a bit o’weed. The cat didn’t make it through this time … as The Associated Press reported: Guards became suspicious about the feline, which routinely entered and left the prison through a hole in a fence, when they noticed its odd collar. On closer inspection, they found two packets of marijuana attached to it. The Department of Penitentiary Institutions said Friday that someone in the village of Pruncul was using the cat as a courier to supply inmates with dope at the local prison. Hope they went easy on the feline. less Speaking of police watching cats … this time in Moldova the cops spotted a cat coming into the prison yard wearing a bit o’weed. The cat didn’t make it through this time … as ... more Photo: Andreas Levers / Getty Images/Flickr RF Image 17 of 20 “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much” and Tweet your desperate need for pot while on the job … and announce where you work … This is an oldy but a goody, as Gawker has it: “A young Toronto-area mechanic learned a valuable lesson Tuesday when he asked his Twitter followers to deliver a “20 sac chop” of marijuana to his workplace. The York Regional Police spotted the request and tweeted “Awesome" in response, setting off a chain of thousands of retweets that eventually led to the young mechanic's firing.” less “Maybe you shouldn’t smoke quite so much” and Tweet your desperate need for pot while on the job … and announce where you work … This is an oldy but a goody, as ... more Image 18 of 20 This is the kind of thing that gives marijuana users a bad rep. A man went into a police station to “provide information” about something or other … and then things just went down hill from there, especially the part where he stole the weed off a cop’s desk. As NBC news has it: “I just couldn’t help myself. That bud smelled so good.” He also reportedly told police he couldn’t believe he was in trouble for “taking a little bit of weed,” especially since he had stopped by to give them information. … Thompson was arraigned before Weller on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with or fabricating evidence, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kinda hard to feel too sorry for this gent. less This is the kind of thing that gives marijuana users a bad rep. A man went into a police station to “provide information” about something or other … and then things just went down hill ... more Photo: Steven Puetzer / Getty Images Image 19 of 20 Justin Bieber is a pop rock star and a pop rock star of his stature should be able to smoke pot and yell at stewardess any damn time he wants. So he did … and it’s not turning out so well.” As NBC news points out: “Justin Bieber could face federal prison time and a hefty fine if the Federal Aviation Administration finds he interfered with the flight crew aboard a private jet, according to authorities. Last week, NBC News exclusively obtained a law enforcement report that said Bieber and his father had been “extremely abusive” to a flight attendant during a flight from Canada to New Jersey on Jan. 31, forcing her to take refuge in the cockpit. … According to multiple law enforcement sources, the leased Gulfstream IV on which Bieber, his father and 10 friends traveled to Teterboro, N.J. was so full of marijuana smoke that the pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks. Man. What’s the point of being a pop rock star?! less Justin Bieber is a pop rock star and a pop rock star of his stature should be able to smoke pot and yell at stewardess any damn time he wants. So he did … and it’s not turning out so ... more Photo: Prince Williams / FilmMagic Image 20 of 20 First legal-marijuana buyer in Spokane fired ... but gets job back 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

What’s the law say?

That said, as the Spokesman Review put it: “… employers are allowed to continue testing their workers pursuant to their internal employment policies, according to the Washington Liquor Control Board, which is handling the implementation of marijuana rules. This includes screening applicants for jobs.”

And, so far, Colorado courts have found that a man fired for a positive drug test was legally fired, even though he has a medical card. The Denver Post reported in their story “Colorado attorney general backs firing of medical-marijuana patient“:

The Colorado Court of Appeals — the state’s second-highest court — last year upheld Dish Network’s firing of a quadriplegic medical-marijuana patient for a positive drug test. Although there is no allegation that Brandon Coats was stoned at work, the company said it has a zero-tolerance policy on marijuana.

So, that’s the mystery of the Man Fired For Being Seen Buying Weed. And, well, there’ll be a lot more confusion and back and forth in the courts before this all gets completely ironed out.

Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or jakeellison@seattlepi.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Also, swing by and *LIKE* his page on Facebook.

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