Pot Smoking and Nursing

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Im angry.

I work for a small clinic in Northern CA. There are three RN's on staff at all time. Recently our Office Manager decided to start drug testing of all staff including Doctors. Well, one of the Nurses I work with came back positive for marijuana use. My thought was "Well she should not be doing it anyways" I was actually glad to see her get in trouble.

After discusing it with the Doctors they came up with a new unwritten policy. They will overlook marijuana. Basiclly, you can smoke all the pot you want but just on the weekends not during "on call" days. I questioned one of the Doctors about it and his response was to "chill"

Does this seem wrong to anybody else? Do Nurses really smoke pot on there days off?

:hhmth: :hhmth: :hhmth: :hhmth: :hhmth: :hhmth: :hhmth:

@thisnurse:

I don't speed, don't play the lottery, have the IRS figure my taxes, don't have kids, my dog is licensed, wear my seatbelt, and the only thing criminal about my sex life is that it could bore someone to death :D

Not everyone looks for all the loopholes, or blatantly finds some law to break. Now there is a Southern state that has a law on the books about not eating fried chicken with a fork..... I wouldn't even break that one :D

Scammers are scammers.... imho

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Specializes in Psych, Informatics, Biostatistics.

Being a nurse in the US, I have never touched the stuff, because of my fear I would get deported or worse. If I lived in the Great White I would recreationally use the stuff. I honestly don't think it does the body that much harm, in fact maybe some good. I really think my 85 year old mother should inhale some.

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Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.

"I think...", "I feel..." Intersting, isn't it, that there are no defensible arguments for pot?

A few examples. The majority of nursing curricula, and a significant part of Boards, deal with the decision-making process. we are expected to make decisions based on Standards of Practice within our Scope of Practice.

Either we believe and accept that standards are a necessary function in life, or we do not. If we do accept this, weed, dudes, is not within the social standards, like it or not. If the social standards, "don't apply to me...", one is, by definition, displaying sociopathic tendencies, and one's overall judgement is unreliable.

If, on the other hand, weed is, "just too good to give up...", one is displaying a dependent personality.

In either case, one exhibits a pathology.

You may not like this, you may choose not to agree, but there is no logical, reasoned argument in opposition.

Some people like kiddie sex. Society says that is illegal. What makes any give vice more tenable than another? The answer, as alcohol definitively proves, is money. :rolleyes: The Kennedy's were instrumental in the repeal of the 18th Amendment; NAMBLA was instrumental in mainstreaming the homosexual movement. NAMBLA was driven off-shore, and marginalized(their dream lives on, its just harder to gain acceptance); the Kennedys mainstreamed and politicized. Get some people who can make more money with legalized pot than illicit pot, and you'll see the fruition of the dream.

If one is willing to risk livlihood, parental rights, home ownership and social liberty in the pursuit of a "recreation", it is necessary to carefully evaluate the validity of one's decisional processes.

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Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.

Scammers are scammers.... imho

Generally, they eventually attain, "convict", but yes, there is a defined psychological profile, and yes, it is reliable.:D

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

'tis a shame that one finds happiness from doing drugs......

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Anyone here who thinks it is okay for people to drink alcohol in their free time but not to smoke pot needs their head examined. Or maybe they just need to take a peak at the literature. Marijuana is pretty much a benign substance. Alcohol can be very, very dangerous. I can't believe the ignorance in this thread. "Gateway drugs" (ie: drugs that lead people to use more drugs) are actually cigarettes and alcohol - these are the drugs people typically start using (and then move on to others), not marijuana.

Now I wouldn't risk smoking pot since it is illegal and can get you in trouble with employers, but I don't smugly look down on those who do. After all, it would make me a huge hypocrite since I enjoy a drink every now and then. I definitely support any legislation to legalize marijuana. The fact that it is illegal while far more harmful drugs remain legal (such as alcohol) is a joke.

ALSO - one big mistake people make has to do with considering only drug addicts who have used marijuana in the past. Many drug addicts have used marijuana (and cigarettes, and alcohol). Instead, the more important statistics is the vast, vast majority of people who have used marijuana and not become drug addicts.

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I was just going off of my personal experience. I don't doubt that the heavy duty addicts had to start somewhere. But what percentage of pot smokers go on to become drug addicts, or use other drugs? How many addicts started with alcohol? Should alcohol then be banned as well?

I definitely agree with you about your coworker. Like I said, it's not something I would do since it is illegal. I just see it on par with having the occasional drink, but the law disagrees with me, so I obey the law.

A very small amount of pot smokers become drug addicts. The vast majority of drug addicts start with alcohol (and cigarettes). I'm looking for the study right now...

eta: Also, interesting thought for those who don't know. The reason marijuana was criminalized in the first place is so the paper manufacturers would not have to compete against hemp fiber industries (which is a much cheaper crop, easy to grow, sturdy, etc.).

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Talking to someone who doesn't smoke pot:

:clown: :):specs: :rckn:

Talking to someone who smokes pot:

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

Absolutely pointless :)

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Since you clearly have never smoked pot....what do you know?

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xtxrn - what an illogical statement. I do not smoke pot, but I think the argument that is dangerous is based on very weak evidence and is made even more ridiculous by the fact that a dangerous drug (alcohol) is perfectly legal. Getting high is getting high. Whether you prefer to have a couple of cocktails or smoke some pot, both methods are done for the same reason. Seriously, do the research yourself. There is plenty of academic literature out there.

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Specializes in ICU.

I know pot is illegal as of now, I am one who does think it should be legalized, (and i have smoked it, although not a smoker, although if it was legal I would use it for sleep, because there is no medication that helps me with my sleep)

Anyways point is for arguments sake, is it fair that a nurse or doctor can't go to a bar on their off days and have a few beers or shots, or even a lot of that's what they chose? That isn't good for either.

Everything in moderation, unfortunately, we can't moderate everyone, whether it be food, sex, cigarettes, alcohol or pot. Nor can we stop anyone from using these things.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
A very small amount of pot smokers become drug addicts. The vast majority of drug addicts start with alcohol (and cigarettes). I'm looking for the study right now...

eta: Also, interesting thought for those who don't know. The reason marijuana was criminalized in the first place is so the paper manufacturers would not have to compete against hemp fiber industries (which is a much cheaper crop, easy to grow, sturdy, etc.).

I completely disagree, despite what the research says.

I came from a town of violent, hard-drinking men & women. Most of them still drink - actually, all the ones I used to know at school who are still there - drink. And the ones that smoke dope continue to do so; they also smoke cigarettes like trains. All the people I knew at school who smoked still do - not one of them has given up. Two of them are now dead from brain cancer. One of the specialists told a neighbour of one of these women (who was my best friend at the time), that her particular brain cancer was caused by smoking.

Smoking cigarettes - everyone did it except me, then they tried pot, and/or drinking and it just escalates.

We had a guy in who tried to commit suicide by taking a heroin o/dose. He lived, but to celebrate living, he drank a bottle of JB & took pot instead. Now he just smokes all day. He will never stop, but he thinks that's better than taking heroin. I suppose in one way it is - his brain is all stuffed up now - but he will never give up the ciggies he told me. They are his life support.

And cancers don't discriminate between you smoking dope or ciggies - and it's now a proven fact that schizophrenics' conditions are either exacerbated by smoking or caused by it. My BIL smoked dope for years - he was very open about it - and went on to very hard drugs. Now he has osteopenia, his back is stuffed for life, and I believe he is schizo.

I think I'll just stick to my odd glass of wine, boring as it is. You can keep the smoking & drug taking in whatever form. It makes me shudder to see people smoking now - I think: it's just more work for me in the end.

And personally speaking, I've never known a dope smoker/ciggie smoker who can only just have a 'little bit' of dope every now & then and stop when they want. It just doesn't happen IMO, which is sad.

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