A.
Read and reflect on the assigned readings for
the week. Then summarize and analyze what you thought was the most important
concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy
of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.
Assigned
Readings: (see attached) Slides below are retrieved from the source below.
Please use this source in the paper.
Title: Loose-Leaf for Business and
Society, ISBN: 9781260140491, Authors: Anne T. Lawrence, James Weber, Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education, Publication Date: 2019-03-25
Chapter 7.
Business Government Relations
Chapter 8.
Influencing the Political Environment
Chapter 9.
Sustainable Development and Global Business
B.
Read the article below and provide a
graduate-level response to each of the following questions:
The Marijuana
Regulatory Dilemma
In the United States
in 1996, California’s voters legalized the sale of marijuana for medical use.
Since then, over 25 more states have done the same; however, it has yet to be
approved on the federal level. This provides a dilemma for businesses in those
states that regularly test employees for substance abuse. In Coats v. Dish
Network, a Colorado employee who is quadriplegic and used medical marijuana
outside of working hours sued for wrongful termination of his job after he
tested positive for marijuana. The confusing legal landscape led to his claim
that Colorado labor laws (i.e., state laws) deemed his use of marijuana legal
and thus his termination illegal. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled against Mr.
Coats, however, because Mr. Coats broke the law by using a product that is
illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. This case highlights the
confusing and complex issues of drug policy and law in the United States.
Contradictions between state and federal statutes also cross over to the sales
of recreational marijuana. In 2014 in the United States, the states of Colorado
and Washington began selling it for recreational use and Oregon and Alaska
recently approved its sale. Proponents for the legalization of marijuana at the
federal level note that regulated markets protect consumers, raise revenues,
reduce the costs of enforcement, and put criminals out of business. Arguments
against it capture those from the states who have opposed it up-to-date: the
publichealth effects of marijuana, the increased tax burden, the danger of
cannabis “edibles” with young children, and its potentially addictive nature.
The legalization of marijuana has been more of a debate in the United States
than in other countries, particularly because of the contradictions between
state and federal laws. Much of Europe has embraced the sale of medical
marijuana, and Australia recently announced similar plans. Jamaica has
legalized “ganja” for broadly defined religious purposes and Spain allows users
to grow and buy it through small collectives. At the time of this writing,
Canada had plans to legalize it for recreational use in 2017.
1. What are the ethical issues in this case? Who are the
stakeholders, and what are their stakes?
2. How are the two issues different—the legalization of
marijuana for medical use versus the legalization of marijuana for recreational
use?
3. U.S. state versus federal law makes this issue
particularly complex. What are other examples of industries where U.S. state
and federal law are seemingly at odds?
4. What actions should the federal government take to help
resolve this conflict between federal and state laws?