Nurses with Medical Marijuana Cards.

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A new topic for you all to consider; is it legal in your facility for nurses to have medical marijuana cards and of course that use them. Anyone have experience with a nurse testing positive and not fired?

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Our facility has a zero tolerance for narcotics; if you cannot function without being on mind-altering medications, you cannot be at work.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

I highly doubt you will find a facility that does not terminate for a + drug screen. Why do you think they do them in the first place?

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Not a new topic. It's been discussed several times. And even in states where recreational use is legal, it's still grounds for termination.

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I always wondered this myself. Colorada, where its use for recreation is now legal, was my concern. I'd imagine you would still not get hired and would get fired for a positive test.

As for the mind altering and a nurse not being effective comment. Don't make me laugh. There is a big difference between being "under the influence" at work and testing positive on a drug screen/test.

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.
Anonymous666 said:
As for the mind altering and a nurse not being effective comment. Don't make me laugh. There is a big difference between being "under the influence" at work and testing positive on a drug screen/test.

Thank you for pointing this out. I was just getting ready to write that.

I have many coworkers (in Nursing and Medicine) who take a variety of scheduled medications. All would test positive if given a drug screen for pharmaceuticals. Just an idea of the drugs that would come up positive would be sleeping pills, anxiolytics, ADD meds, opiate pain meds, medications for seizures, testosterone, etc....

These are not employees coming to work plastered and unable to function. These professionals are intelligent individuals and excellent employees. They have been prescribed the scheduled drugs by their Physicians because the medications are needed for them to live a normal life and hold a job. I've been on AN for a long time. It's still frustrating for me to read when people equate taking a prescription drug as being impaired.

And my facility does not allow for positive drug screens r/t pot...only because they are viewing pot under federal law.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I love my cat! said:

And my facility does not allow for positive drug screens r/t pot...only because they are viewing pot under federal law.

Even if it were legal federally, facilities can and do make prohibitions for substances that are legal, too. Many hospitals test for cotinine, and testing positive can be grounds for non-hire or termination. I have doubts that facilities will ever make recreational use of marijuana on off-hours to be acceptable, even once it becomes legal everywhere.

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.
klone said:
Even if it were legal federally, facilities can and do make prohibitions for substances that are legal, too. Many hospitals test for cotinine, and testing positive can be grounds for non-hire or termination. I have doubts that facilities will ever make recreational use of marijuana on off-hours to be acceptable, even once it becomes legal everywhere.

Very true.

I was just commenting on my specific place of employment and their rationale for not allow medical marijuana. They do allow people who are prescribed Marinol, though. They also allow cotinine...but they don't allow any smoking on hospital grounds.

....oh, we can also be terminated for napping in our car on our break!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I only know of one State's BON, Arizona, that made simply having a medical marijuana card grounds for taking someone's license.

Whether or not it's legal in a particular state, or even at the federal level, really doesn't matter. Facilities can chose to limit even legal, prescribed medication use as a condition of employment in safety sensitive jobs.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I love my cat! said:
... It's still frustrating for me to read when people equate taking a prescription drug as being impaired.

I'm not necessarily promoting their argument, but the argument is that there is actually evidence that people taking certain prescribed medication, mainly opiates and benzos, are measurably impaired compared to someone who is not (they are more likely to have workplace accidents or errors).

While the adverse effects of these medications do decrease somewhat compared to therapeutic effects with chronic use, we know that they don't disappear. So it would go against our basic understanding of pharmacology to suggest that someone taking these medications doesn't experience some level of impairing effects.

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Ive never used drugs

But i am curious. If a nurse went on vacation out of the country and used drugs recreationally there (and lets just assume that this is legal in that country)

Then came back to the usa and went back to work. Could they get fired/disciplined for testing positive ?

How would that work?

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Anonymous666 said:

As for the mind altering and a nurse not being effective comment. Don't make me laugh. There is a big difference between being "under the influence" at work and testing positive on a drug screen/test.

Wasn't trying to be funny ;)

Just answering the question; whether one is "under the influence" isn't the thing. Testing positive is. And there ARE workplaces (mine included) that have the zero tolerance policy going on. Back hurt too much, so you took a painkiller....but then you'd be expected to take a sick day. Just policy.

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