Marijuana and Nursing School

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I'm sure there is a thread about this but I wanted to establish one specific to my situation.

I am a 20 year old, second year nursing student in a highly competitive nursing program at a four-year private liberal arts college. I do not live on campus, I still live with each of my parents.

I am sure this question will elicit judgemental comments from all walks of life but let me illuminate you on my character-

I do not drink alcohol or party.

I strictly am attending college to better my future and become qualified, you'll hardly catch me socializing. I am extremely school-oriented and maintain a 3.5 gpa.

I study in my free time and work full time as well as attending school full time.

but YES, on occasion I indulge in smoking marijuana for the calming effects it has on my situational anxiety and sleep issues.

So here is my directive.

Do nursing schools TYPICALLY drug test prior to clinicals and how severe are the consequenceswhen testing positive with marijuana?

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

FWIW: I personally would rather see people smoke pot than drink alcohol. And if I could, I'd still be doing it myself because I enjoyed smoking pot. It relaxed me and knocked down a lot of the anger I had in me when I was younger. But I don't do it anymore for two reasons: a) it's incompatible with holding a nursing license in my state (even though medical marijuana is legal), and b) it might interact badly with certain medications that I take.

You see, it really doesn't matter if you disagree with the Board of Nursing or your school's policies: THEY make the rules, therefore they have the power to make your life very, very difficult if you decide to disobey them. Maybe someday it'll be different, but TODAY you cannot smoke pot and be a nurse/student, and it's not going to change anytime soon. You have a choice to make here.

It took me a lot of years to understand that, as I'm sure it did some of the other members here who have tried to advise you even in the face of your resistance to our advice. We're trying to tell you how it IS, and it has very little to do with how you think it should be. And you may just be one of those individuals who, like me, has to learn everything the hard way. Don't fault us for trying to spare you from it......it's what we as concerned nurses, parents, grandparents, and human beings do.

And that's all I have to say about that.

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FWIW: I personally would rather see people smoke pot than drink alcohol. And if I could, I'd still be doing it myself because I enjoyed smoking pot. It relaxed me and knocked down a lot of the anger I had in me when I was younger. But I don't do it anymore for two reasons: a) it's incompatible with holding a nursing license in my state (even though medical marijuana is legal), and b) it might interact badly with certain medications that I take.

You see, it really doesn't matter if you disagree with the Board of Nursing or your school's policies: THEY make the rules, therefore they have the power to make your life very, very difficult if you decide to disobey them. Maybe someday it'll be different, but TODAY you cannot smoke pot and be a nurse/student, and it's not going to change anytime soon. You have a choice to make here.

It took me a lot of years to understand that, as I'm sure it did some of the other members here who have tried to advise you even in the face of your resistance to our advice. We're trying to tell you how it IS, and it has very little to do with how you think it should be. And you may just be one of those individuals who, like me, has to learn everything the hard way. Don't fault us for trying to spare you from it......it's what we as concerned nurses, parents, grandparents, and human beings do.

And that's all I have to say about that.

This!!

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Can't top that.

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Supporting Mexican drug cartels by paying cash for an illegal drug is OK. Seeing a doctor to ask about treatment options for a condition that nearly every human being in our country has experienced at one time or another... Now THAT would be wrong.

This made my life.

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Smoke it if you want, but if you get pulled to get a random test then you will have to pay the consequences which could very well mean job loss, license suspension, and even revocation. Don't try to tell everyone how it is okay to smoke weed-its your choice and you are the only one that will suffer if you choose to smoke and fail a test. You are not going to be able to rationalize your smoking the BON.

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When I said 'step out of their conservative bubble' I did not mean for others to change their views/agree with me. I was simply inquiring that some should put themselves in the shoes of others. People are continuously saying I'm 'rationalizing' it. It is equivalent to rationalizing alcohol. That is where I am coming from in terms of asking others to drop judgement for a millisecond and speak like adults in an adult world.

And I forget the name, but to whoever said I'd smoke on the floor-read what I've been saying don't be ignorant or ridiculous because I CLEARLY already touched on that.

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I live in Canada too. I have never been drug tested in my life for nursing school and employment. My friends and coworkers haven't either. Guess policies are different in the states compared to Canada because i have not heard of that being done where i live. Tread lightly with this topic tho as you can see some people get really touchy about it. Good luck. I know a few professionals that smoke too......but again it seems to be more liberal here (not that it's an excuse to do it but u get what I mean....)

Thanks my friend!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
When I said 'step out of their conservative bubble' I did not mean for others to change their views/agree with me. I was simply inquiring that some should put themselves in the shoes of others. People are continuously saying I'm 'rationalizing' it. It is equivalent to rationalizing alcohol. That is where I am coming from in terms of asking others to drop judgement for a millisecond and speak like adults in an adult world.

And I forget the name, but to whoever said I'd smoke on the floor-read what I've been saying don't be ignorant or ridiculous because I CLEARLY already touched on that.

If you have situational anxiety to the point if needing illegal drugs what are you going to do when working? Seriously? You don't think working as a nurse will cause some anxiety? And you need your pot for it because the stuff is off limits. How about you just find a career where they are okay with impaired and illegal employees?

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Marijuana is one of the most natural things there is. Anybody who is willing to look at common sense facts can see that for themselves. It has no place among the illegal hard drugs, but America is kind of silly and that's where we're at. Best of luck to you :).

I'll chime in on this . . .natural doesn't always mean safe. Never did; never will. Y'all can make all the arguments you want about smoking pot or not but using this argument doesn't hold water. There are many "natural" poisons in our community garden on Earth. Just because it is a plant, doesn't mean it is safe.

I'm in agreement that you shouldn't risk your career for pot. Yes, I've been screened many times with many jobs. We randomly screen our high school athletes. Random screening starts young. ;)

Mixing pot with mental health issues is risky too. Don't self-medicate without some expertise from a psychiatrist.

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I'll chime in on this . . .natural doesn't always mean safe. Never did; never will. Y'all can make all the arguments you want about smoking pot or not but using this argument doesn't hold water. There are many "natural" poisons in our community garden on Earth. Just because it is a plant, doesn't mean it is safe.

According to the CDC, there are 80,000 deaths per year attributable to excessive alcohol use. Deaths from marijuana overdose? Zero. Zip. Zilch.

Yes, there are health risks associated with marijuana use. There are health risks associated with eating ice cream. Should we wag our fingers at parents who let their children eat ice cream because it is not "safe"?

How many of you have eaten fast food lately? Enjoyed a carbonated beverage? Anybody here ever go to bed without brushing your teeth? Don't tell me nobody here ever exceeds the speed limit. Who here enjoys a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work?

Life isn't "safe". We all assume risks.

To the OP, as I stated in post #32, it doesn't really matter what everyone thinks about marijuana. What matters is what is YOUR nursing school's policy, and what level of risk are YOU personally willing to take?

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According to the CDC, there are 80,000 deaths per year attributable to excessive alcohol use. Deaths from marijuana overdose? Zero. Zip. Zilch.

Yes, there are health risks associated with marijuana use. There are health risks associated with eating ice cream. Should we wag our fingers at parents who let their children eat ice cream because it is not "safe"?

How many of you have eaten fast food lately? Enjoyed a carbonated beverage? Anybody here ever go to bed without brushing your teeth? Don't tell me nobody here ever exceeds the speed limit. Who here enjoys a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work?

Life isn't "safe". We all assume risks.

To the OP, as I stated in post #32, it doesn't really matter what everyone thinks about marijuana. What matters is what is YOUR nursing school's policy, and what level of risk are YOU personally willing to take?

I wasn't making an argument pro or con . . or comparing alcohol to pot . . . just saying that you can't use an argument that it is a plant or natural so that has to mean it is safe. Plants and natural stuff can kill you or make you pretty sick.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I wasn't making an argument pro or con . . or comparing alcohol to pot . . . just saying that you can't use an argument that it is a plant or natural so that has to mean it is safe. Plants and natural stuff can kill you or make you pretty sick.

I thought the same thing when I read the OP - just saying it's natural doesn't create a valid argument for safety. One does of synthetic Zoloft is infinitely safer than one dose of orificenic or hemlock.

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