Question about marijuana use as a nurse

[sasha_t]

I used to use marijuana only as a recreational drug, recently it was prescribed to me due to anxiety and lack of appetite. If you have a prescription to marijuana and you test positive on a drug screening, would you still be allowed to work? Would an application for employment be denied?

Personally, I think that you should be able to. I believe that you should be able to do whatever you want during your off hours, as long as it is not affecting your performance at work, whether that is going home and having a few beers, or smoking a joint.

Honestly, I feel more in control of myself and a lot safer when using marijuana over drinking alcohol. Going into the nursing field really does take a special kind of person that wants to help people. If we didn't have the genuine desire to help, most likely, we would not have made it through school.

I would never come into work high any more than I would come into work drunk, so it wouldn't affect the way that I treat patients. Why would I enter a field to help people, just to hinder my performance and actually put them in harms way? There are restrictions on marijuana just like there are on any other prescription drug, just like the "do not operate heavy machinery" restriction. If it is legal, prescribed, and not affecting me at work, I don't think that my license should be at stake.

[eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't want someone who was caring for me or my family to be under the influence of any drug. If you truly want to smoke weed or need to because it is all that will relieve anxiety and increase your appetite, you need to speak with your BON and your employer. If the need to smoke exceeds your need to be a nurse, perhaps getting a job that requires less critical thinking should be an option.

[DutchRN09]

You can't be serious, people are drug screened prior to being hired and you would not be hired, think what you want, but really, where I work you are not even hired if you smoke tobacco. Plus, who prescibes pot for anxiety. Really? You can't function as a nurse if you are a drug user.

[DemonWings]

You can't be serious, people are drug screened prior to being hired and you would not be hired, think what you want, but really, where I work you are not even hired if you smoke tobacco. Plus, who prescibes pot for anxiety. Really? You can't function as a nurse if you are a drug user.

Its actually really commonly prescribed here in California. I have a neighbor directly behind me who is a 20 something year old who is prescribed MJ and he is able to grow 12 plants or something like that in his back yard. Because of this, my children and I get to smell that skunk like smell when we are swimming in the pool out back. Oh and he was given the Rx for anxiety, and it appears that serveral of his friends are also anxious people because he is always smoking outside with at least 5 or 6 of them.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Meriwhen speaks the truth. Marijuana is not legal in my state so a positive drug screen for THC would undoubtedly lead to that person not being hired. HOWEVER, narcotics ARE legal and even with a valid prescription- I know of facilities that would not allow someone to work while taking narcotics. I know because I used to be employed at one of them. Several years ago, I was on lifting restrictions because of low back problems and, despite a note from my doctor, I still had to be "cleared" by occupational health. The occ health NP asked me what I took for pain, I said motrin and she responded (probably as an FYI but it came off as kind of a stupid since I had just told her that I was only taking motrin) "you know you can't work if you're taking narcotics." It didn't matter WHY you were taking them, this hospital did not allow anyone to work while taking narcotics so I imagine a pre-employment drug screen positive for narcotic use at this institution would lead to a denial of employment.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Im curious how this plays out. MJ is legal from a local standpoint but from federal i would be curious to what they have to say. Maybe they should have tried Marinol and some xanax instead. I could see where the BON would look at someone with an active prescription for MJ as a threat. But for now I'll grab some popcorn and see how this unwinds

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Yes, I think it's an absurd double standard that some view drinking alcohol and occasionally getting drunk is morally and socially acceptable, but smoking pot and occasionally getting high is "bad". What on earth is the difference between recreational alcohol use and recreational marijuana use?? Ive seen many many many people die horrible deaths from cirrhosis and liver failure related to alcohol. Not too many from chronic (ha!) pot use....

But that's not what thisis about. This is about your job, and most jobs can legally enforce random drug tests. What your employer and the BON says is the bottom line....

[squidbillies]

Different but similar example here: The military now allows gay marriage. However, because gay marriage is only recognized in certain states and not FEDERAL law, homosexual spouses are not entitled to health coverage, housing allowance, etc that heterosexual spouses are. Additionally, while an Rx for marijuana may be valid in, say, California, FEDERAL law trumps the state law and the military member is not allowed to have marijuana is his/her system.

Just a thought.

My personal opinion is get over it.

[JZ_RN]

I wouldn't want a nurse whose senses and response time are dulled by drug use, and I don't know many others who would either. If you wanna get high, take it up with the BON. We're professionals even when we're off the clock and we can't use dope. If you are so ill that you can't function without pot and have panic attacks, or can't eat normally, maybe you shouldn't be working at all.

[Anne36, LPN]

Im willing to bet it isnt allowed. You may want to talk to your Doctor about a different presicription for your problems.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I wouldn't want a nurse whose senses and response time are dulled by drug use, and I don't know many others who would either. If you wanna get high, take it up with the BON. We're professionals even when we're off the clock and we can't

use dope If you are so ill that you can't function without pot and have panic attacks, or can't eat normally, maybe you shouldn't be working at all.

No one is saying it's okay to come

to work high. But just because someone smokes pot on occasion does not mean their senses or response time are "dulled" or something. No more than someone who gets drunk on occasion. Of course, someone who abuses pot will have long term effects that could affect their judgement. Same with alcoholics. But just because a person gets high on occasion on their own time does *not* mean

they are a bumbling idiot 24/7.

For whatever it's worth, I personally don't care for marijuana, never have. But, yeah, on some of my weekends off I might go out and

party and get drunk. (not as much as i used to, ha ha) But I'm responsible about it. I think many of us do that. How are people who get high on occasion any different?

I think you'd be very, very surprised how many of your coworkers/neighbors partake of pot and are fully responsible and functional adults. (of course, as I said earlier, all of this is irrelevant when it comes to drug testing and protecting your job)

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

As others have stated, whether your BON will license you I do not know. In my state, as long as you are using MM as directed by your prescriber, it will not prevent you from being licensed. However, employers are not required to accomodate MM use, and can fire you for testing positive for THC, even if it is legally prescribed to you.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Maybe I'm missing something here. The OP says she/he uses marijuana for anxiety issues, but doesn't believe it will affect him/her at work? How on earth can it NOT affect you at work? If you're smoking a mind-and-mood-altering drug to calm you down, then clearly it IS affecting you...and arguably in a negative way while you're supposed to be alert while taking responsible care of your patients.

I'm glad that it takes the edge off your anxiety, but in so doing it's also dulling your senses....the very senses that you need for accurate patient assessment, dosage calculations, ANYTHING requiring you to be more alert than you likely are when you're under the influence of marijuana.

This isn't a commentary on whether marijuana should be legal or whether the OP should use it as medication.

But it does seem pretty clear to me that if it's WORKING to keep her anxiety in check, it's also keeping her, well....stoned at work. I use a PRN prescription painkiller to ease pain when I'm at home, but you can bet your very last dollar that the last dose I have will have worn off hours before I ever step foot in my unit! Will the OP indeed be smoking such that all possible effects will have worn off hours before starting work....or will her need to curb anxiety result in an affected job performance?