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?

G'Day...

I don't know if I can add anything new, but I do know that many people see pot as a soft drug. Well, that may have been true twenty years ago when most pot was bush weed.

I don't know what the trend has been in the USA, but here in Australia most of the strains available are hybrids that are grown in hydroponics, with many chemicals added.

I have worked in Drug and Alcohol for many years and I am always amazed when people call this a "soft drug", especially others in the health care arena. I just tell them to go check out the Psych. wards, or come to our unit and have a look see.

Now I am not going to make any value judgements on whether some people can smoke responsibly or use any mind altering substance responsibly, as I know that many people can. I just wish that people would stop differentiating between drugs, as I have seen as much damage done by all.....alcohol, pot, heroin, etc, etc.

Yours in Metta

Melissa

Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

People who act that way in school usually, in time, tend to be "weeded" out, chastized or otherwise dealt with at some point...I am at least as much and probably MORE concerned about impaired docs, who the AMA tends to protect and shield with their huge budget....Thinking I wouldn't be happy if my lawyer or accountant was impaired on the job...Not at all happy if my beautician decides to get high ( on ANY substance) prior to my cut and/or color)...The vet might do ireperable damage to the cat or dog should he or she show up at work under the influence...

Not at all thrilled if the phlebotomy person slated to draw blood out of my ONE good vein, is wasted in ANY way, shape or form, and I am thinking overworked and over medicated dietary workers could do some funky things to my food both as a patient AND a staff member...When it comes to the pharmacy staff, ALL sorts of things come to mind AND an impaired central supply crew MIGHT be responsible, however inadvertantly, for a major outbreak of some horrible ailment or biological insurgence of potentially such a magnificent degree that the CDC would have to be called in. ...And if THEY are high, what hope do we have??? :)

Thinking EVERYONE should at LEAST have the same standards we appear to be setting for ourselves...........

the whip - The poor hygiene of your fellow student does indeed suggest that she is doing what she's saying. How much is she doing? Here's the rule of thumb: (with drug use, divide what she says she does by 4; with alcohol multiple by 2).

Jan - The instructors may not be aware - students' talk among themselves about drugs and cheating.

Society is in desperate nurses. It's easier not to admit than weed out. Most schools do not do an interview, because interviews are subjective and not objective and can be questioned in court. Nursing schools do not have a high profit because of low student/instructor ratios dictated by nursing boards plus extra supplies and equipment to teach nursing. Then again another reason to try to avoid law suits. Nursing schools are beginning to do drug testing of students; however, it's not like when your licensed. When your licensed to nurse or to drive a car, you sign permission for blood testing. State laws cover that. However, no state laws exist that allow nursing schools to run drug tests - that I know of. Even if she comes to clinical too impaired to participate, she can always say she's coming down with the flu. Pray that she missed too many classes or gets caught cheating. Now, about the cheating part I know two nursing students who missed 26/100 of the same questions and sat beside each other. However, when this information was presented to the director of the nursing program - that in itself was not enough proof. One of the two students studied at home a year longer before taking boards; however, when she was in clinical, she didn't care to learn the best way - just enough to get by. A facility where the nursing students go could block her from practicing there; however, they usually go to the extreme of blocking all students - until they need the "free labor" to meet the needs of the patientss.

Nursing Instructors are responsible for the student's learning. Facility RNs are responsible for the care the patient receives. Of course the smart nursing instructor would remember that the board can pull her license if she is teaching unsafe practices.

Documentation for discharging a student from a nursing program can be compared to documentation of an uncooperative patient. It has to be written,detailed, objective, etc. Again that expense of a law suit comes into play.

Drug Use

I despise drug use. I think as a nurse it's my patients' right to have a nurse in their "right mind". I do believe that if any health professional uses illegal drugs they can't be trusted with the legal stuff. Same for alcohol. I know it's legal, but too much and you'll be the patient hopefully of a nurse that didn't decide to get high before work. I think drug test should be mandatory. We are dealing with lives. Why take the chance? I would want a nurse who uses drugs. But I know we are humans and everyone has a crutch. Do we want our children to think it's okay to do drugs just as long as they don't do it at school or on school days. Ridiculous, huh? Yes. We as nurses are trying to gain respect as professionals. What's more unprofessional than having a staff full of high nurses? But there is a shortage and I believe any nurse is better than no nurse at all. How many of us would want a doc who's high. Not me. I have enough stacked against me. Pot often leads to other drugs that makes it difficult control ourselves. Stop making excuses and clean up your act drug addicts. professionals we are.

" Maula, RN

I think as a nurse it's my patients' right to have a nurse in their "right mind". "

Left hander typing, here. I'm ALWAYS in my "right mind." :D

Just lightening the atmosphere, here....

Lori:)

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Why do the drink lovers insist that those defending pot usage are dopers???? I have not taken one hit off a joint nor even been in sniffing range of one in over six years. I have not had over one or two drinks in the past three years. I, like thisnurse, smoke cigs and that's about the extent of my drug addiction. However, I know pot is no worse than alcohol. Alcohol is just as likely to lead to other drugs as is pot.

I, like thisnurse, have a strong resentment about an employer or fellow nurse TRYING to tell me what I can do with MY body on MY time. Sorry, that's about as deep as the argument goes...I live a pretty "boring" life as well. Spend a few hours chasing 2 & 3 yr old toddlers and the last thing you desire is some mind altering drug..you crave normallacy...that's all.

My question in regards to nurses getting high,whether its pot,alcohol or whatever,is why? Whats behind this need to alter consciousness? Is life so bad,so boring?, so meaningless? Is it a philosophy of "eat,drink and be merry,because tomorrow we die"?

well to inform you closed minded people who make the statement that if a person smokes pot then they will hit the legal drugs as well.........that is a farce of a statement.....there have been people who have been weed smokers for years and have never done any other drug; that is a closed statement and a generalization which is not a good thing because that is like making a closed general statement that if a person is Irish they drink a lot.....( that may not be the case at all) or if a person is Jamacian they smoke weed all the time.......(that may not be the case at all) And please do not take this out of context because I am no means saying bad things about IRISH or Jamaicans and let the truth be told I am mixed with both. I am basically saying that who are we to judge anyone.....no one is perfect .....therefore we are not able to judge anyone else .........and why does life have to be bad, boring or meaningless as a reason to smoke pot or drink alcohol........when Bob Marley was asked why did he love his weed he told the world.......It is a part of my deep meditation and the base of my thoughts in the words of my songs....It allows me to go deep within myself..........

Specializes in obstetrics(high risk antepartum, L/D,etc.

I guess I'm confused. Is it okay to do something illegal so long as you don't get cought? Would it not be better to work to make the activity that you feel is harmless legal than to flaunt the law?

BTW- I do not drink, smoke or do drugs. Not bragging or putting anyone else down, just stating facts.:confused:

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.
Originally posted by judy ann

I guess I'm confused. Is it okay to do something illegal so long as you don't get cought? Would it not be better to work to make the activity that you feel is harmless legal than to flaunt the law?

BTW- I do not drink, smoke or do drugs. Not bragging or putting anyone else down, just stating facts.:confused:

judy ann,

I've not seen anyone here state they actively smoke pot. I, for one, do not; hence I am doing nothing illegal. That does not change my opinion that pot is no worse than alcohol, nor does it change the fact that pot SHOULD be legal. Pot will never be legalized, the gov't makes a killing off of drug importation deals. As for working to make the activity legal...

I have no desire for alcohol or pot, so I could care less about the legality of either. My concern is the infringement of my PRIVATE life, private time. The next step will be video surveillance in the home by the employer. "Umm, Ms. Doe, we are firing you from your position. We noticed on home video/audio surveillance that you raised your voice at your child. This is not the type behavior we wish to perpetuate in the work enviroment!"

What a person does on their own time is NOT the employer's business...period.

what a person does on their own time is not the employer's business .....period.....

good night.........

Hi gang, thought I'd get involved in this one, because I have so much experience on the subject:eek: :eek: I began Smokin' when I was 16yrs old, quit twenty years later. Did I need a program to help me quit? answer, NO! Was I addicted? answer, NO! Did I have Withdrawal symptoms? answer, NO! Why did I quit? answer, simple, To Much to lose, if caught!

The U.S. Gov't has been "Studying" marijuanna for over 80 yrs now and what have they deduced? 1) marijuanna may lower the sperm count of males that use it? I personally know at least 10 males that have fathered 4-6 children each while using, makes me go Hmmmm?;) and also from personal experience, I can state emphaticly that it heightens your senses of taste, touch, smell, hearing, as well as sight. Along with these effects, it heightens your appetite for love making, as well as for food :eek: ;) 2) it has been classified as an hallucinogen by the DEA, Yuk-phooey! That particular mis-information came from studies of mere children who in most cases got busted while smoking their first "Joint" and they were led in that direction by their investigators, think not? They would say anything the feds wanted for reduced charges! I know many people who smoked for more than twenty years and never ever ever hallucinated including myself. One must know the definition of hallucinating to know this is pure manure :( 3) Smoking Pot is worse for your lungs than tobacco, here I have to agree in part, smoking is smoking and as such, cannot be good for anyones lungs. However those who know this and still wish to get "High" have opted to Bake it instead and ingest it, therefor bypassing the lungs completely. Heard of anyone getting stomach cancer from eating pot? answer, NO!

Alcohol users get in their cars and speed, eventually killing themselves, and even worse, others!:( Some marijuanna users do drive immediately after smoking, they stop 100 feet before a Stop sign causing those behind them great inconvenience, while having to wait for them to proceed to the grocery store:confused:

The large majority of pot smokers will not venture out after smoking, argue if you will but that is fact based!

Why then do alcohol abusers get sentenced to six months to a year for Driving Under Influence. While Marijanna abusers get sentenced to five to ten years jail time for their transgressions???:confused: If they ever legalize Pot, I will partake, until then I must decline my friends offers to have a "Joint" Am I angry?, answer, I do not NEED pot, but wouldn't mind smokin' one once in awhile.

Just got off from working 12 hr shift getting tired gotta go, but feel free to PM me, with your views on my response thus far.

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