OCALA, Fla. -- A Florida high school dean has been fired after he tested positive for marijuana, even though it had been prescribed for him by a doctor to treat post-traumatic stress disorder he incurred in the Marines.
The Marion County School Board voted 5-0 Wednesday to fire Mike Hickman, saying that while medical marijuana is legal in Florida, it is illegal under federal law, its use violates district policy and he failed to notify his supervisor he was using it.
The central Florida district offered to suspend Hickman, 51, if he agreed not to use medical marijuana in the future, but the 10-year employee refused. After an administrative judge upheld a previous superintendent's recommendation that he be fired, the board acted.
Mark Levitt, an attorney who represents current Superintendent Diane Gullett, told the board Gullett agrees with her predecessor's decision and Hickman's military service should not cloud their judgment. Hickman fought in Iraq during Gulf Storm 30 years ago.
“He was given the opportunity to stop using it,” Levitt said.
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