Colorado high court considers pot firing case

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a marijuana-related firing case that could have big implications for the state's pot smokers.

The case involves 35-year-old Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic medical marijuana patient who was fired from his job at the Dish Network after failing a drug test in 2010. Coats says he needs the drug to help with violent spasms he has suffered since he was paralyzed in a car accident.

Dish says that because pot is still illegal federally, medical marijuana is not a lawful activity covered by a state law intended to protect cigarette smokers from being fired for legal behavior off the clock.

The case is being watched closely around the country. Twenty-three states allow medical marijuana, but courts have ruled against patients who have been fired for using it.