No opinions please just facts

[wheresmyrights]

First off, I've seen a TON of curious posters get flamed like crazy on these boards about asking questions related to marijuana use. I am not asking for your opinion, I am asking for facts. I am currently a nursing student, and just got a job in anesthesia in a hospital. I have a variety of questions because I am really upset over the fact that, and especially as marijuana becomes legalized in several states, it is still tested for and criminalized. I have a few questions just regarding people with experience, and again, I dont want people to say to lay off smoking. I havent because of this. And its making life less enjoyable.

First:

As a CNA, if you have to take a random drug test and fail for marijuana, what are the consequences? (I get that you can get fired or suspended, I'm asking in certification regards) and will this carry over to your nursing license? Nebraska if that helps.

Second: What states or facilities arent currently drug testing?

Third: What is the process of random drug testing like?

I have zero interest in other drugs. I would also never come to work under the influence. So I dont need flaming or trolling for people wanting to tell me I'm a bad person for what I do solely in the privacy of my own home. Are there positions in healthcare that I can get with this degree and not be subject to RANDOM drug tests? I will be getting a BSN if that helps. (Pre-employments are fine, if you can't hold off on the grass long enough to pass that at least then I consider that a problem)

Thank you so much for honest answers.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I am operating under the assumption that the OP gets "baked up" on his or her own time, not while on duty.

[wheresmyrights]

That would be a correct assumption. I personally feel very sad for these people who have so little trust in people that they assume when someones asks about a recreational activity that they feel it would be something they are so reckless to do and then come to work. I would never and have never come impaired to any activity that requires even the slightest bit of good judgement (work, school, etc.) So please stop spreading these assumptions that nurses who like to smoke like to smoke and go to WORK, because its inaccurate and quite ignorant if you try to spread that mind frame.

[VANurse2010]

A lot of potheads can't handle their stuff and don't exercise good judgment themselves, so that was not an unreasonable question to pose. Also, people judge - get used to it or you'll never survive in the adult world.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

My hospital in a different state just did a pre-employment drug test including an additional one for nicotine. It looks like a pregnancy test. If they identify nicotine or suspect you are a smoker, they reserve the right to fire you as they have a zero-tolerance policy. The exception is if you were grandfathered in and so if you were hired pre-2011. So imagine being faced with being denied employment for a completely legal drug.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

wheresmyrights said:

That would be a correct assumption. I personally feel very sad for these people who have so little trust in people that they assume when someones asks about a recreational activity that they feel it would be something they are so reckless to do and then come to work. I would never and have never come impaired to any activity that requires even the slightest bit of good judgement (work, school, etc.) So please stop spreading these assumptions that nurses who like to smoke like to smoke and go to WORK, because its inaccurate and quite ignorant if you try to spread that mind frame.

This is a stretch. You love your pot. You are in love with it enough to defend it in a discoverable way on a public board in a very defensive fashion with the screen name of "wheresmyrights" while admitting you want to work in healthcare, a career that demands a large degree of personal ethics. Right, wrong or purple, it is an illegal substance with historically high indicators for addictive propensity. If that alone weren't enough to cause one to question your judgement (or liability on the job) all of the rest of the above is. Nobody is starting a smear campaign against your recreation of choice. Just pointing out to you the way the world and employers and licensing agencies tend to see it. You absolutely have the right to get high however you want to. The rest of the world has the right to make certain assumptions based on that choice and the law has the right to be enforced. If you don't like those assumptions you will have to learn to make different choices or get less bitter about them being made. That is the mark of maturity.

[Emergent, RN]

The problem with pot is the residual effect. It stays in your system even after you 'come down'. You are just a bit more spaced out if you are regularly toking.

[Jenngirl34RN]

I live WA, where recreational pot is now legal, so this is actually something that nursing students and nurses here (as well as pretty much everyone else) have to figure out. The upshot is that first, any company in any profession can still screen for any drug, and if you have a drug in your system without a prescription for it you can be fired for that. As far as working in the hospitals go, it is the same. As I understand it (I am still in school myself and not working yet) you cannot work under the influence of any narcotics or intoxicants like alcohol. One of the girls in my class had to have surgery right before clinicals started, and she ended up having to miss the first week because she was still on her pain meds. Even with a prescription you cannot take narcotics and then go to work as a nurse. It is unsafe. We have medical marijuana here too, and the same rules apply. If you are on it, prescription or not, you cannot go to work.

It really is not a judgement thing, it is a safety thing. I personally do not use marijuana as it makes me incredibly sick, but I have no problems with others using it. I would have a problem with any nurse going in to work with patients on ANY drugs that can slow reaction time or impair judgement, and marijuana falls on that list.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Jenngirl34 said:

I live WA, where recreational pot is now legal, so this is actually something that nursing students and nurses here (as well as pretty much everyone else) have to figure out. The upshot is that first, any company in any profession can still screen for any drug, and if you have a drug in your system without a prescription for it you can be fired for that.

And even if the drug is legal and you have a script for it, you can still be bounced. Neither is bulletproof protection. For example, a company may decide to check the serum level of a drug; if that level is above therapeutic range, the employers may conclude that you are abusing that substance even if you hold a valid script.

[MNRN22, BSN]

We should be more concerned with opiate addicted nurses than we are with nurse who occasionally smoke marijuana. I have not seen anyone die of marijuana but I have sure seem them die of ETOH. Our society is hypocritical and the medical community needs to speak up. Pot should be legalized, then concentrate on helping folks with their emotional problems instead of locking them up.

[suanna]

Jenngirl34 said:

.... Even with a prescription you cannot take narcotics and then go to work as a nurse. It is unsafe. We have medical marijuana here too, and the same rules apply. If you are on it, prescription or not, you cannot go to work. .....

Who in the world told you this? An employer may have a policy of not allowing staff to work if they test positive for one substance or another, but the BON (at least in my state) only prohibits working while "impaired". It is up to the nurses judgement if he/she has taken a sufficient quantity of narcotic (or any other medication) to be "impaired". There is a difference in using an illegal drug that is known to impair judgement, using a legal mood altering substance while responsible for patients, and using a legaly prescribed medication that in its side effects, includes the potential for impaired judgement.

Consider the fact that benadryl makes most people sleepy, but if you know how you react to it, and feel comfortable with your ability to tolerate it, there is no reason why you cannot take an antihistamine to deal with your seasonal allergies. Recreational use of pot while practicing nursing...I cannot find a reasonable argument that would allow this, even in states where it is legal, but to put legitimately prescribed analgesics in this same catagory is unfair and unrealistic. In most states alcohol is legal, but no one would argue a couple of "Jagerbombs" before you take report would be OK. Pot is much more appropriately compaired to alcohol than narcotics. For most people it isn't prescribed, and there is very little chance you could be such a little bit stoned that you professional judgment wouldn't be impaired.

[Yuppers21]

Quote

Possibly in the next few years by the time I graduate these laws will change, or maybe I can consider moving somewhere out of the United States and to a place where personal privacy and trust in the employees mean something.

If smoking weed is that important to you, it would seem easier to pick a new profession than a new country to live in.

Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side

[MadisonG]

I am so sick and tired of America and their stupid politics and war on drugs. I am considering moving to Canada or going into home health or case management so that I will not have to worry about this on a random basis. Drug testing is a violation of privacy ! If I want to go to Jamaica with my husband and smoke then that is MY business. I should not have to have my career on the line because a crackhead RN is diverting drugs and the entire unit has to be tested. Cocaine and other dugs have half lives that go away in about 2-3 days, if that. Yet someone who occasionally smokes has to wait 30 days. It is not fair. There needs to be a testing system that can tell if drugs are in the system at the time of a workplace accident. I have never been to work impaired and I don't plan to as a nurse. What I do on my off days is not my employers business !!!! Also people know your rights, you can not be watched unless it is court ordered or you are on probation. You also have a right to know what reason the "suspicion" to test falls under. It is a violation of your 4th amendment constitutional right ! The government can never get rid of cannabis. I agree, tax it, sell it, and move on ! If drug diverting is such an issue then how about employers test for THOSE substances. The last time I checked marijuana was not in the pyxis.