Painfully Prescribed: Could Taking Opioids as Legal Treatment Result in Discrimination Uncovered by the ADA?

Authors

Rachael Elyse Palmer

Document Type

Student Comment

Abstract

Amended in 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with its sole mission to protect individuals with disabilities, is still gaping with holes in coverage due to recent court interpretations. One such interpretation is the lack of protection for patients being treated with legally prescribed medications. With widespread misconceptions about opioid use and its effects, employers take adverse action upon their employees seeking necessary treatment. This paper will discuss the harmful consequences of courts narrowly interpreting the ADA against coverage of these patients, as well as the potential revitalization of the ADA’s mission in pending actions.

Recommended Citation

Rachael E. Palmer, Painfully Prescribed: Could Taking Opioids as Legal Treatment Result in Discrimination Uncovered by the ADA?, 13 St. Louis U. J. Health L. & Pol'y (2019).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/jhlp/vol13/iss1/10