Freaking out! Constructive advice needed.

[FL-MSN-RN11, MSN]

Help! I'm in Florida and need advice .A little back story. I am going through a divorce and I had not sleeping well for months before the trial and it was having a really detrimental effect on me. After the trial I was talking to a friend about it and he told me he was taking cbd and it had helped him and my Father was taking it too for his knee pain and said it also helped with anxiety and sleep. So, he ordered me some and I started to take it and it wroked for both the anxiety and sleep. Fast forward a couple months and I took a pre-employment urine test for a PRN job and came up positive for THC. I know they have to report it ro the BON and have now done the proper research (that I shlould have done before) and know I won't be clean for another few weeks. Ive enrolled in my employer's EAP program, told my boss about the cbd but not the pos screen as instructed by my union rep, and am seeing a counselor that is willing to write an evaluation stating that I am not a substance abuser, because I'm not. Ive spoken with lawyers I can't afford because of the divorce, that still isnt final, and they said to wait to be contacted and not self report to the BON. However, Ive read that it may be better if I do. Ive heard nothing but horror stories about the ipn program here in Florida. Im scared to death, Im all alone here and already strapped financially. I don't know what to do or expect. Any advice is appreciated and before raking me over the coals about no doing the proper due diligence about cbd, know that I regret it, but I was in a really bad place and just wanted relief w/o benzos, ETOH, or any other addictive stuff. Id appreciate any constructive advice. Thank you!

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

Yikes

what a shame. I’m sorry u are going through this. It seems to me that if you were using a legal substance sold essentially over the counter that didn’t impair your ability to perform your duties by getting you high then they ought to leave you alone

however they probably won’t in my experience. I self reported and honestly don’t know if I’d do it again. I got a dui in my state and told the board because I figured it was my duty to do so but I know other nurses that got the same charge and really nothing happened to them when they failed to self report. I wish I had better advice

this much I can tell you I would get a lawyer if I had to do it all over again

[Rosa09]

We all make mistakes and you did what you thought could help you at the time. You could wait until you are contacted by the Board if your employer lets you keep working. In my case, I was reported to the Board by my employer, but before they started their investigation I had already self-reported to IPN and once the Board finished their investigation they said that since I was already involved with IPN they would not give me a negative mark in my license as long as I finished my IPN contract, so my license shows no disciplines and it’s clear. I hope this information is helpful, feel free to reach out to us for assistance. Hang in there, you are not alone.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

Indeed you are not alone and there are good folks here who will try to help