Nurses prescribed marinol?

[francoml]

Can an employer or the board of nursing punish you in any way if you are legally prescribed marinol and test positive for thc on a drug screen?

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

I don't see how the distinction is that important. If somebody has a legal prescription for either substance it should be handled in the same manner.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

I don't see how the distinction is that important. If somebody has a legal prescription for either substance it should be handled in the same manner.

Marinol is a FDA approved synthetic product that is pure in formulation. It is regulated and controlled with a predictable PK/PD and set dosage.

On top of the pharmacological difference, Marinol is federally legal unlike medical marijuana.

[MunoRN, RN]

Marinol is synthetic THC, which is very different than medical marijuana mainly because the therapeutic component in marijuana is primarily cannabidiol, not THC. There is some, but very limited therapeutic effects provided by THC, which is why compared to medical marijuana, marinol is not all that effective.

Regardless of legality or prescription or a Provider's assurance of lack of impairment, employers are free to limit any medication use that it can argue would affect performance and public safety.

[chare]

Related: In California, many hospitals do not honor medical marijuana recommendations (which I know is not the same thing as marinol) [despite endorsement by the AMA and ANA].

Source: HR via colleague word of mouth :/

Please provide a reference for you assertion that the AMA and ANA endorse medical marijuana.

[MunoRN, RN]

Please provide a reference for you assertion that the AMA and ANA endorse medical marijuana.

I'm not trying to speak for aaronallgrin, but to answer your question:

http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/Positions-and-Resolutions/ANAPositionStatements/Position-Statements-Alphabetically/In-Support-of-Patients-Safe-Access-to-Therapeutic-Marijuana.pdf

The AMA more directly supports additional research to better define the appropriate uses, but does at least acknowledge the therapeutic potential of medical marijuana:

AMA Reverses Stance on Medical Marijuana

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

So based on a few of these posting I get the impression that some nurses believe that no nurse takes painkillers, anxiolytics, ADD meds, antidepressants/antipsychotic, weightloss pills or even antihistamines all of which can have mood altering effects. How is a cannaboid (FDA approved) different from any of these medications????

If you already knew the answer you wanted, why didn't you just say so? No reason to pretend to have a question.

[klone, MSN, RN]

So based on a few of these posting I get the impression that some nurses believe that no nurse takes painkillers, anxiolytics, ADD meds, antidepressants/antipsychotic, weightloss pills or even antihistamines all of which can have mood altering effects. How is a cannaboid (FDA approved) different from any of these medications????

I'm sure some nurses do believe that. I'm not one of them. But our beliefs and opinions are irrelevant, because my beliefs don't change what my hospital's policies are, nor those of the BON.

I live in CO, where recreational marijuana is legal. But at most hospitals, if you test positive for THC on a UDS, you can still be fired.

[klone, MSN, RN]

What needs to be developed are statistically validated methods of empirically measuring acute impairment on a particular substance, similar to a breathalyzer for EtOH.

It is being developed. However, I imagine some hospitals will take a hard-line approach - if you have ANY amount of an illegal substance in your system (since MJ is still illegal in most states), you can be fired for cause.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Mood altering drugs are not the same has performance altering drugs. For instance, SSRI's do not alter performance . There already are tests to measure performance. This kind of information is under the science of addictionology.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Can an employer or the board of nursing punish you in any way if you are legally prescribed marinol and test positive for thc on a drug screen?

The employer is well within their rights to decide how to handle a positive drug screen, and even a valid prescription is not bullet-proof protection aganist disciplinary action. So the answer to the employer one is: yes, it could happen.

As far as what the BON would do, the only ones who could answer that question is the BON. So contact them (anonymously if you prefer) and ask.

If you are looking for legal advice, then you need to talk to a lawyer specializing in employment and/or nursing practice issues.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

So based on a few of these posting I get the impression that some nurses believe that no nurse takes painkillers, anxiolytics, ADD meds, antidepressants/antipsychotic, weightloss pills or even antihistamines all of which can have mood altering effects. How is a cannaboid (FDA approved) different from any of these medications????

I don't think anyone believes or even suggested that in their responses. Your question wasn't "do nurses take medications that have mood altering effects?", your question was if there can be consequences from your employer if you test positive for THC on a drug screen. The answer is yes. I know when I worked in the hospital, the policy was that you could not work if taking narcotics. Period. The reason why you were taking them mattered not. Theoretically this hospital could probably fire an employee if they happened to test positive for narcotics (even with a valid prescription) while on the job because they knowingly violated the hospital's policy.

[klone, MSN, RN]

The OP asked a similar question on the Colorado Nurses board several months ago, IIRC.