I am a newly employed RN in Florida who gave up medical marijuana (I had my medical card) prior to starting nursing school. I had accepted the fact that I would not be able to benefit from marijuana while protecting my career and have been on various different medications for GAD and insomnia throughout these ~3 years. Unfortunately, I have experienced side effects from most of these medications (nausea/GI irritability, daytime drowsiness, impaired concentration, etc.) which are definitely not ideal, but still less debilitating than the original conditions.
Upon hearing about the potential lift of the federal ban of marijuana earlier today, which would ultimately leave marijuana laws up to the states, I tried to research how this might affect Florida nurses who are eligible for medical cards, but could not find anything. These side effects often affect my concentration on the job, while the marijuana (taken at bedtime) did not provoke any adverse effects, so I am eager to see if it might be an option for me, and especially for nurses with more severe conditions, in the future.
So my questions are: Would it just be up to the FL BON to update their policy? Could the FL BON continue to classify marijuana as grounds for termination/IPN/etc. even if medically-justified & the nurse isn't violating state or federal laws? Any knowledge or insight is greatly appreciated! :)
