CBD & Nursing don't mix

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

I was recently diagnosed with Lupus and am anxiously awaiting my Rheumatology appointment. While I have been waiting I have been in a lot of pain when I have my flares, so I have put in a request to see a pain management specialist. I told my husband AND my father this and they BOTH suggested I try CBD oil. What the what??? I have told my husband and father several times that since CBD/marijuana is federally ILLEGAL if I take a drug test and pop positive for it I could lose my license or have to report to TPAPN, I don't know which one is worse.

They both told me since I am not working that I should try the CBD oil. Uh, no. I am applying for telecommuting positions. What if I get an interview on Monday and they want me to take a drug test the same day? But I've been using the CBD oil so I have to reject the interview/job/etc all because I couldn't wait to get a legal prescription from a provider.

My husband, I will give him a pass. He is not the brightest crayon in the box. Never was and never will be. But my father, he has a bachelor's degree and has common sense. So I don't know why he doesn't understand this.

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Specializes in OR.

Apparently CBD is the latest "it fixes EVERYTHING!!!" I don't doubt that it helps people for pain and other assorted issues simply by anecdotal evidence. I do question the pushing it for any and all things. As I posted on another thread...I had a guy in the holistic pet store ‘recommend' a CBD oil diffuser for my cat's anxiety issues. Ummm...I don't think so. I wasn't going to try to explain that one to the program nazis.

The guy in the store was insisting that ‘it's not pot, it's a different part of the plant, it's hemp based.' He actually got very rude when I said I wasn't interested and I had my reasons. Dang.

In spite of the spreading evidence of it being helpful, we all know that these programs and the associated drug testing function back in the dark ages and I think you are right in not getting close to that fire.

Hopefully, you can see the pain management specialist soon and get sorted.

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Specializes in Pedi.
catsmeow1972 said:
Apparently CBD is the latest "it fixes EVERYTHING!!!" I don't doubt that it helps people for pain and other assorted issues simply by anecdotal evidence. I do question the pushing it for any and all things. As I posted on another thread...I had a guy in the holistic pet store ‘recommend' a CBD oil diffuser for my cat's anxiety issues. Ummm...I don't think so. I wasn't going to try to explain that one to the program nazis.

The guy in the store was insisting that ‘it's not pot, it's a different part of the plant, it's hemp based.' He actually got very rude when I said I wasn't interested and I had my reasons. Dang.

In spite of the spreading evidence of it being helpful, we all know that these programs and the associated drug testing function back in the dark ages and I think you are right in not getting close to that fire.

Hopefully, you can see the pain management specialist soon and get sorted.

There seems to be a very militant group of people in the community of the rescue we got our dogs from who use cannabis on their pets. I just found through Google that the FDA had sent several warnings to the company they get it from, too.

And, yes, this is the latest cure-all. I have seen parents of children I've worked with (in a volunteer capacity, not as a nurse) post on facebook that their child's disease has progressed or that they're now going the hospice route because the situation is terminal and some idiot always responds with "cannabis can cure your child's incurable cancer!"

Cannabis has its place in symptom management, sure, and many of these kids are already on some form of medical marijuana (legal in our state) for nausea or appetite stimulation or pain but it doesn't cure every disease known to man.

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Most lay people, even the science oriented ones, don't understand the length of BON's reach into the lives of nurses. It's administrative law, not criminal, so the burden of proof is so much less. You are guilty until proven innocent, and its darn difficult to prove innocence.

I was reported to the Board by my hospitalist caring for me for a substance issue issue when I wasn't working at all as a nurse, but I was hospitalized with complications... I had quit nursing at the time to deal with my problem. Wasn't employed, hadn't been employed, no plans to become employed.

But because I had not inactivated my license during this time, and that doc knew I had a nursing license...well, I got reported and nailed to the wall. I had a legal script, but I was abusing it. I don't want to get into details, but it wasn't even a controlled substance, but I was still abusing it. Now, I had a problem and I have zero problems admitting that, but I was naive and didn't think I'd get reported because I had entered treatment and quit nursing prior and was unemployed. I was very wrong.

There wasn't anything criminal going on, but since it was abuse, I got nailed to the wall by the BON. Instant 5 year monitoring contract and practice restrictions. Now, I didn't get public discipline, thank God, but the Board doesn't care that you aren't active in your practice, as long as the license is active and there is the potential for you to work, you will get nailed.

Lay people don't get it...in non-medical professions, a failed pre-employment drug screen will simply keep you unemployed. In nursing, your entire career is at stake. The BON protects the public. Period. And they err on the side of sidelining a safer nurse versus risking letting someone unsafe practice. I get it. But lay people don't.

You are wise, you are smart. Even with a medical card, I personally wouldn't touch anything related to the marijuana plant as long as my license was active. Since you can't actually get a true prescription for it (it's federally a Schedule 1 along with heroin), all it takes is one provider (or any person you know for that matter) who disagrees with your use of it to report you to the Board, and its game over.

If your family gets persistent with you, just have them cruise AN's recovery forum and read up. They may change their tune. You are wise to wait for pain management!

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

Thank you everyone. I feel like I'm a broken record because I keep repeating myself. How many different ways do I need to say "no"? Maybe I need to start saying no in different languages. lol. I didn't even know I could get in trouble with the BON for using it and just having an active license! That's really scary. I think that would be enough to scare me straight. Hopefully if they keep telling me to use it I can tell them that & they will get it.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Dear Organized Chaos,

from your messages, I feel that your professional life, as well as state of health, is in a mess. Accounting for this, maybe it could be suggested to try to adhere to professional advice rather than to expressions of anonymous members of message boards and non-professional opinions of someone "with common sense". Especially if doing so can realistically endanger your career to its end.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

It's certainly reasonable to want to avoid any marijuana derivatives out of personal choice or to avoid employment issues, but just to clarify you're not going to "pop positive" for marijuana on a drug test because you take CBD since drug tests don't test for CBD, they test for THC.

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MunoRN said:
It's certainly reasonable to want to avoid any marijuana derivatives out of personal choice or to avoid employment issues, but just to clarify you're not going to "pop positive" for marijuana on a drug test because you take CBD since drug tests don't test for CBD, they test for THC.

I've never taken it but was told the same thing, but have heard from other people that they HAVE popped positive for THC even when using a CBD that's not supposed to have any...

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Specializes in OR.
MunoRN said:
It's certainly reasonable to want to avoid any marijuana derivatives out of personal choice or to avoid employment issues, but just to clarify you're not going to "pop positive" for marijuana on a drug test because you take CBD since drug tests don't test for CBD, they test for THC.

Given the destruction (in many cases overzealous or unwarranted) that has rained down upon some of us in our professional (and leached into our personal) lives, I think I can safely speak for the majority of us in this corner of AllNurses when I say "we ain't going anywhere near the stuff if there is even a tiny chance that something would be awry." As someone above said, in nursing the implications are much much higher and for those doing battle with addictions and/or thier state's discipline programs, the stakes are astronomical. So no, maybe it isn't "supposed to" but it can and does.....

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
MunoRN said:
It's certainly reasonable to want to avoid any marijuana derivatives out of personal choice or to avoid employment issues, but just to clarify you're not going to "pop positive" for marijuana on a drug test because you take CBD since drug tests don't test for CBD, they test for THC.

The problem is, CBD production is not checked/certified and there are more ways to make it than to cook an apple pie. Therefore, some manufacturers' products can cause THC tests to be truly and undoubtedly positive, both urine and hair. I see it happening almost every week.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
KatieMI said:
Dear Organized Chaos,

from your messages, I feel that your professional life, as well as state of health, is in a mess. Accounting for this, maybe it could be suggested to try to adhere to professional advice rather than to expressions of anonymous members of message boards and non-professional opinions of someone "with common sense". Especially if doing so can realistically endanger your career to its end.

Uh, I didn't ask for your opinion on that. So, no thanks for all of that.

My professional life is actually NOT a mess, I just chose my family over work. I mean, screw me for making such a horrible decision - right??? If my professional life was so horrible, how did I land my last job in the FIRST place? I didn't quit because I didn't like my job or the people there. I quit because my husband is gone for weeks on end & it was affecting my children. My 1 year old is healthier now that he is not constantly in daycare & my 3 year old is not acting out as much so I know I made the right decision for ME and MY family. I am lucky enough that I can be a SAHM while my husband supports us.

Thank you for telling me my health is "a mess". I didn't ask for your opinion on it. Guess you must be the picture of perfect health. Why does this post bother you so much? Also, how will this post harm me in the future? Neither my husband nor father work in the healthcare field, so I am at a loss as how this will cost me a job. I have seen worst posts than this & if this costs me a job than I don't want to work for that company anyway!

So who peed in your Cheerios today?

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
MunoRN said:
It's certainly reasonable to want to avoid any marijuana derivatives out of personal choice or to avoid employment issues, but just to clarify you're not going to "pop positive" for marijuana on a drug test because you take CBD since drug tests don't test for CBD, they test for THC.

There is still THC in CBD, they don't remove it all.

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