Health Care Professionals and Marijuana

[HalfBoiled, BSN, RN]

Location: California

There has been quite a few discussions of marijuana recreational use ever since this year's legalization.

A proposal has been made, for my hospital's employee drug testing, that there will be NO disciplinary action if an employee (new or old) tested positive. Regardless of prescription, it would not it be held against them.

My opinion is: whatever my coworkers do out-of-the-clock is their own business. However, it become a different story if they showed up to work under the influence (but that is a different topic).

What do you guys think?

[MunoRN, RN]

There have been varying stances by nursing boards and employers on medical and recreational marijuana. Some states have fairly clearly established what criteria they will use, and others are basically leaving it whatever precedent they end up setting with individual cases. There are states and employers that have come out and said they are only concerned with impairment while at work and/or testing positive for active psychoactive compounds now that these tests have become widely available (as opposed to tests the look for inactive metabolites).

[AceOfHearts<3]

I don't know that I would want to give my employer that much power, especially if I didn't know the stance of the BON.

[elkpark]

OP, "a proposal has been made" by who? Your employer is proposing that, or employees want your employer to take that position? If it's your employer proposing, why would be it a "proposal" instead of just a "new policy"?

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

I guess we will see how this shakes out in the states with legalized pot. There is still no standard level that marks intoxication for THC. In the case of a medical error, a lawyer would jump on anything greater than zero like a chicken on a June bug. That goes for alcohol as well but it takes much less time to metabolize EtOH. Measureable levels from a Saturday night blunt will linger days past a couple of glasses of wine.

Now the states, through Congress, need to change the national law so that it won't conflict with the vast majority of states. We have acted like a monarchy since the first state passed medical marijuana. A sovereign can choose to ignore laws he doesn't like. The problem is when leadership changes the items subject to a wink and a nod also change. If we are going to be a nation of laws then the laws should match what we do.

[Susie2310]

Didn't California voters oppose random urine tests for drugs and alcohol for physicians a while back? I think you are seeing a lack of desire for implementation of disciplinary action on the part of your organization or person/s within your organization.