Is this possible?

everthesame, LPN, LVN · Jun 1, 2008

From what I have read you do not inhale enough from second hand smoke to pop positive on a drug test. I forget where I read that but I will post a link if I can find the source.

Absolutely13 · Jun 1, 2008

False positives do happen.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/333161

I hope this helps.

Flames9_RN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 1, 2008

This was an excuse from one of our Canadian skiiers back in the Winter Olympics a few years back, and he won on his appeal! lol

TazziRN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

It is possible, but unlikely. She would have had to be in an enclosed room with several smokers for a period of time for that to happen. What she could do is request a gas chromo, to determine how much showed up......if it's a ridicuously low number then she'd have more ammo.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

More than likely this "sweet" girl is lying and is a pot smoker.

http://www.querycat.com/faq/a26524a62aaca07d989c87ed689b8b91

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

Like Tazzi said, its possible. Not common but possible.

There was a recent case here in my State where a 7 month old baby died at the hands of her parents. According to her parents, she became unresponsive and taken to the ER. When the hospital ran tox screens, cough/cold med was found in her system but also crack-cocaine was found.

Police determined that the child wasn't smoking the crack but the second hand smoke she was inhaling was the reason for the crack showing up.

http://naugatuckvalley.blogspot.com/2008/04/father-pleads-guilty-in-death-of-infant.html

"Autopsy toxicology results showed the baby died as a result of cocaine and pseudoephedrine toxicity, and the death was ruled an accident, court documents show. Pseudoephedrine is a cold medication.

Police believe the cocaine got into the child's system via second-hand smoke."

TazziRN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

Um.......pseudoephedrine toxicity? How can that be an accident? The crack I can see, but someone had to give her the cold med, so obviously the parent was too stoned to read the label.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

Nope it wasn't an accident in the sense that the baby got a hold of the cold medicine. Her parents gave her the medicine. I guess since they weren't charged with murder (they were charged w/risk of injury) that it was determined that the parents did not intentionally give the baby the overdose of medicine to kill her. And yes, they were probably so stoned that they didn't realize the amount they had given her.

These two are well know drug addicts. Too bad someone didn't step in when the baby was born and was born addicted to meth and coke and place that baby somewhere safe. :no:

But thats another post for another day

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

If you are on protonix you will test positive for cannibis.

akvarmit · Jun 1, 2008

I have wanted to believe the best about people, sometimes to the point of being downright naive. But working in drug & alcohol gave me a chance to see how many times my hopes that someone was telling the truth were ill founded.

It's unfortunate, but one of those big "learning experiences" for her. I know for me - I wouldn't be hanging out with anyone smoking pot long enough to worry about inhaling enough to jeopardize myself that way, really!

elizabells, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2008

It's unfortunate, but one of those big "learning experiences" for her. I know for me - I wouldn't be hanging out with anyone smoking pot long enough to worry about inhaling enough to jeopardize myself that way, really!

I know, right? I make no apologies for leaving a party or get-together if someone lights up. And I always hear "there's no way you could get enough to test positive!" You know what? I don't care. If it's enough to get me lightheaded (and it has been) it's more than enough. So I'm a stick in the mud. Not worth my career.