{"id":22018,"date":"2016-11-14T10:42:38","date_gmt":"2012-11-14T17:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=6847"},"modified":"2012-11-14T10:42:38","modified_gmt":"2012-11-14T17:42:38","slug":"employer-forces-nonsmoking-l1114","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/employer-forces-nonsmoking-l1114\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman Claims Employer Tried to Force Her to Quit Smoking"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Can an employer fire you for smelling like cigarette smoke?<\/figcaption><\/figure> A Minnesota woman is considering a lawsuit against her employer after being let go from her job. Stephanie Cannon claims she was fired because she\u2019s a smoker. The Minneapolis receptionist says Park Nicollet Health Services encouraged her to quit and when she didn\u2019t, she lost her job.<\/p>\n

Dealing with the smell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cannon says her employer didn\u2019t like the smell that lingered on her from smoking. Cannon says she stopped smoking on her breaks, used an air freshener and kept her work clothes in a plastic bag to keep the smell down, but it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

She was given information about quitting, but Cannon says she and her husband have no desire to quit and doesn\u2019t feel a job should dictate that choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I do in my home or outside of work when I\u2019m not punching into that little clock is my business,\u201d she told KSTP<\/a>. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have to be made to feel like I\u2019m a leper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The legal battle<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Cannon weighs her legal options, some lawyers don\u2019t think she has a case.<\/p>\n

According to Chuck Samuelson of the American Civil Liberties Union, \u201cBasically your rights as a smoker end where other people\u2019s noses begin. In fact you can make the argument that your rights as a smoker end when other people breathe in the air that comes off of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minnesota state law says an employer can\u2019t hire or fire a person unless they are doing something that is against the law, but it also states employers can fire someone if they are creating a hazard in the work environment.<\/p>\n

Forcing people to quit<\/strong><\/p>\n

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New medications can help people quit smoking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cannon isn\u2019t alone. Employers across the nation are becoming more strict about smoking. In some cases, companies are encouraging employees to use medication to kick the habit.<\/p>\n

Zyban, a nicotine-free prescription medication, is designed to reduce nicotine cravings and other symptoms normally associated with nicotine withdrawal. The medication does not contain nicotine, and is gradually decreased as the amount of cigarettes smoked decreases. It’s one of several medications employers are encouraging smokers to turn to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Minnesota woman is considering a lawsuit against her employer after being let go from her job. Stephanie Cannon claims she was fired because she\u2019s a smoker. The Minneapolis receptionist says Park Nicollet Health Services encouraged her to quit and when she didn\u2019t, she lost her job. Dealing with the smell Cannon says her employer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t