Do you think patients should have the right to use medical marijuana?

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  1. Do you think patients should have the right to use medical marijuana?

    • 1265
      Yes
    • 128
      No

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Do you think patients should have the right to use medical marijuana?

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Specializes in Critical Care.
But back to the other reply you had on this. How about vicodin? your line of reasoning would lead to revoking the license of any user of legal prescription drugs that could be detected in your system but you cant tell if you are under the influence. Vicodin effects =8-12 hrs max no matter how you slice it. this class of drugs is detectable in urine for several weeks after use. How would you determine if the nurse is under the influence at work? you cant. and since it is still in their urine would you suspend their license? if not what makes the difference between the vicodin and MJ?

The difference is that vicodin is primarily a medical use drug and MJ is primarily a recreational use drug.

Oh to be sure, you can use vicodin recreationally. But normally its 'abuse' is from dependence, not partying.

Just as a nurse can use MARINOL now, and provide evidence of a script, and not likely need to justify a positive THC test any further.

Just because valid arguments exist for some drugs do not make those arguments apply across the board.

Marijuana is all but legal now. You have to have a ton, almost literally, to get any jail time. I suspect that it WILL become legal in the next 10 - 20 yrs.

But I maintain: don't ever expect to use it recreationally AND work legally under a nursing license.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in MS.
There is no need to smoke pot for medical purposes. There is a prescription drug already on the market w/ medical THC in it.

Pushing pot for medical purposes is merely an avenue to lower resistance to its use for recreational purposes.

~faith,

Timothy.

Yes prescription drugs that have oodles of nasty side effects and in so many cases simply are not effective. "medical" THC is the way the drug companies can get their cut on the action.:trout:

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Having a prescription for grass does not make it legal to drive impaired. It jsut means that the cop wont be taking the pot. Alcohol is legal for everyone and you still get charged with DUI if you drink and drive.

Not the greates argument AGAINST MJ scrips.

The "while driving" was just an aside . . . . the main point is some crock of a doc gave a medical rx to 18/19 year old healthy males . . . .

That has nothing to do with it being prescribed for medical reasons - it has to do with getting high.

Which I still maintain is the real reason people want mj legalized and they just use the "medical pot" argument as a handy excuse.

steph

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I agree with medical use (not abuse).

:yeahthat: :yeahthat:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
The "while driving" was just an aside . . . . the main point is some crock of a doc gave a medical rx to 18/19 year old healthy males . . . .

That has nothing to do with it being prescribed for medical reasons - it has to do with getting high.

Which I still maintain is the real reason people want mj legalized and they just use the "medical pot" argument as a handy excuse.

steph

What if they suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder

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Recreational drug use is NOT merely a personal liberty being over-regulated by the gov't. More than 50% of all car accidents involve recreational drugs. The costs in thefts and crime and ruined lives is abundantly clear.

Roy, a valid comparison is helmet laws. Why do we have them? Answer: to protect society from the astronomical costs involved in the stupidy of an individual's desire to exercise their 'rights' when society must ultimately pay the costs for those 'rights'.

Libertarian or no, your rights end where MY rights begin. Because MJ cannot be tested as an active component in a person's decision making (it stays in the system as detectable LONG after its effects ebb), MJ is a dangerous drug to legalize, or, if you will, DECRIMINALIZE.

Alcohol is bad enough. But AT LEAST we can prove, in a Court of law, that you are ACTUALLY inebriated by your etoh level. MJ decriminalization not only opens the door for many more DUI accidents, it does so in a way not empirically provable in Court.

A chief responsibility invested in Gov't in the Constitution is the obligation to 'promote the general welfare'. Protecting citizens from the invasion of their safety and liberty due to the careless acts of others IS promoting that general welfare.

In that, the criminalization of MJ is both valid and reasonable.

~faith,

Timothy.

Careless driving is often used as the charge when a suspect is high on cannabis and driving impaired. Careless driving has the same impact on raising insurance costs as a DUI/DWI.

I disagree with imposing the civil penalty of removing someone's livelihood (at home depot or a hospital) due to marijuana use during non-duty hours. I think that the 8 hour bottle to throttle rule has worked very well for many years in preventing impaired flying by pilots. I think that that is a reasonable personal rule for employees to adopt for their marijuana use before going to work. If the individual is unable to follow that rule for themselves other problems will arise (late for work, absenteeism etc.) that will give an employer justification to terminate the employee.

I don't use marijuana, don't have friends that use and don't even know where to buy it. I just think that it is a matter of personal choice in the individual's personal life.

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First of all, I work Saturday nights, so no saturday night MJ parties for me, but thanks for implying stuff.:rolleyes: Second, I don't want it legalized, just decriminalized. Third, if I were to use it for my wild crazy weekday night parties (lol, joking), I'd have no problems accessing it at all. I remember in HS it was easier to get weed than cigs or alcohol. Whatever--all OT for this thread.

Fourth, MJ takes up to 30 days to clear the system. If someone takes uses it for their illness, they shouldn't be able to work for 30 days just because the drug hasn't "cleared their system"? Why not? --It's not effecting them for those 30 days. How long does MJ actually affect the person who smoked it? Well, it'd depend on the size of the person, biology of the person, nature of the illness being treated, tolerance level, dosing, etc (hey! just like ALL other drugs we prescribe! wow) but I'd guess MJ's effects last between 2hours, maybe 6 or 8?

If you're going to discriminate like that on medicinal marijuana users, then you'd have to send someone home who took a Vicodin for a tooth ache until it "clears their system".

Now before people start twisting my words--I'm not advocating for people to work while they're stoned. I'm not advocating for people to pop a couple of Vics and operate their bull dozers (or operate on a patient for that matter).

But there is this bs stigma that is doing nothing but hurting patients and limiting their choices. I am telling you now, that if I had cancer and decided to do chemo, I WOULD use marijuana if traditional antiemetics didn't work (and if I were at home, a PO antiemetic probably wouldn't do a great job). If I were dying, I'd probably smoke it. A lot of people I know would. SO now when I need my MJ, I have to buy it from Kenny down the street, or Joe two towns over? Instead of CVS or Ekerds? I have no idea what Kenny and Joe's stuff contains--there's no regulation for what $10 will get me--all stems and seeds (ie much less medication)? Pesticide? Contaminated MJ? A baggie of oregeno? MJ laced with something? How potent is this-is it more than I should be taking? Less? I'd have no idea because there are no "rules" no regulations, no guidlines.

And that's really what sick or dying people need-uncertainty, instability and unpredicable medication doses. :madface:

Kelly

:yeahthat:
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What if they suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder

:D :D Very funny Tom . . . . btw, hello stranger!

Seriously, if those kids suffered from Social Anxiety Disorder, smoking mj would probably not make them more sociable. In my experience, everyone pretty much shuts up and zones in on their own little world. :smokin:

steph

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Decriminalize it. Increase tax income from it's sale, increase farming jobs, decrease court cost w/ prosecution, decrease jail time R/T violation of its use & distribution (and perhaps allow for criminals who have commited serious crimes to fulfill their entire sentence vs. early release d/t overcrowding).

Also, I'd rather see a pothead any day than a drunk. JMO though :)

Totally agree!

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No, if it is for lifetime use because it can affect the patients psychologically. I know that marijuan can be used for pain and there's a lot of medicine now can be used for it. Maybe its better to maintain it that way... Thanks and God bless to all!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Looking at the results of this poll it needs to presented to an official in this way. That the RN's have taken a survey and these are the results.

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Specializes in pure and simple psych.
Looking at the results of this poll it needs to presented to an official in this way. That the RN's have taken a survey and these are the results.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat:

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