Nurses Who Smoke Marijuana

Kkristine1 · Jul 9, 2013

I am anurse who was just tested pos for THC as I had smoked a few weeks prior at a party. I am not a user. It was a momentary lapse in reason. Now i have been reported to the BON in Fl. An investigation has been initiated and i have been forthright with everyone regarding my pos test. I have made no excuses. I just spoke with an IPN person today for the first time. She asked all the questions and took my statement. My quandry is this, while i was fired from that job, i quickly procurred another job at anothe SNF before knowing I had been reported. I have only completed my orientation. The woman at IPN asked me if I am presently working. I told her no as I have not yet received a schedule so I am not currently working yet. My question is, can i start working since i have signed nothing and my liscence is still active? What are the ramifications if I do? Can the IPN findout if I am employed? I have a child to feed and a mortgage to pay. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. Scared to death!

TXRN2 · Jul 9, 2013

Kkristine- i posted a reply to this an another thread.

celesteanne · Jul 20, 2013

My state recently voted to make the possession of small doses and use of marijuana legal. This has opened a whole can of worms in relation to the workplace. The hospitals and other healthcare agencies have already made rulings that regardless of the 'legality' of smoking weed, they will not allow their employees to smoke and if anyone is found with a positive UA they may be fired. While I am not in favor of approving the smoking of weed while working or even on a work day, but I do think that most places of business are going to have to establish guidelines as to the amount found in urine that would indicate smoking within 18-24 hours of a shift. I don't know what's fair, but obviously drinking alcohol and going to work is not acceptable and yet if I were to drink while on vacation and days off it would have no relevance to my work performance and I believe that would be fair with marijuana, as well. I haven't smoked marijuana since college, many years ago, and I don't intend to, but I still believe that if they are going to legalize it, they need a different approach than simply saying that if it is found on your UA you can be fired. Marijuana is detectable in the urine for a very long time and any presence of it should not be grounds for firing.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2013

I wonder what the deal is on this in Cali. I've never tried pot, but I live in SF, and have gotten to the point where the smell doesn't even faze me anymore.

LisalaRN99, BSN, RN · Nov 17, 2013

Smoking marijuana is a slippery slope in nursing. At any time you could be required to provide a urine specimen. You could be one of the nurses who logged into the medication machine the day there was an unexplained discrepancy with narcotics, and it wasn't your fault, but BINGO! busted for pot! You could have a work-related injury totally unrelated to your pot smoking, which requires a drug test in order to qualify for worker's comp benefits, and BINGO! busted for pot! Now, not only do you not get the worker's comp benefits, you probably lost your job and were reported to your BON and must complete their version of the Impaired Nurses Program.

Is it really worth it for a little occasional buzz??

I don't know about you, but I worked very, very hard for my nursing license only to lose it for something so stupid!

MichelleRN34, ADN, RN · Nov 17, 2013

\ said:
Smoking marijuana is a slippery slope in nursing. At any time you could be required to provide a urine specimen. You could be one of the nurses who logged into the medication machine the day there was an unexplained discrepancy with narcotics and it wasn't your fault, but BINGO! busted for pot! You could have a work-related injury totally unrelated to your pot smoking, which requires a drug test in order to qualify for worker's comp benefits, and BINGO! busted for pot! Now, not only do you not get the worker's comp benefits, you probably lost your job and were reported to your BON and must complete their version of the Impaired Nurses Program. Is it really worth it for a little occasional buzz?? I don't know about you, but I worked very, very hard for my nursing license only to lose it for something so stupid![/quote']
This is exactly what happened to me.

RNlove17 · Nov 19, 2013

Should MJ be legal...yea probably, seeing as how alcohol is and it's a pretty "mild" substance. But it isn't federally, at least not yet, so they can do whatever they want to you if found out. If you want to stay in nursing, it's better to just avoid it. I work at a place that doesn't drug test and could probably get away with it easily. But I don't smoke it and have no desire to, nor would I risk it anyway even if I was into it. So if you must be inebriated occasionally, stick to alcohol...at least that's legal.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Nov 23, 2013

1. Marijuana should be legalized on the federal level for recreational and medical use. Marijuana is less harmful and less impairing than alcohol. The war on drugs has had an overwhelmingly negative effect in our society.

2. Nurses should never, ever, report to work under the influence of any drug, legal or not.

3. Marijuana is federally illegal, even if you have a marijuana "prescription." Your workplace is not obligated to continue your employment if you test positive, even with an Rx. Your BON can treat a positive marijuana screen just the same as a positive opiate screen.

4. Smoking pot while working as an RN is a crapshoot. Even if your job doesn't do random screens, you still run the risk of being tested if there is a med discrepancy in your pyxis or you make an error providing patient care. Regardless of your personal feelings about marijuana, this is just the truth. I know plenty of health care workers who smoke pot- nurses, APNs, and MDs. A significant percentage of the population uses marijuana on a regular basis. Again, this is just the truth. It is almost a surety that at least one of your personal health care providers uses marijuana.

5. This is not a debate about our personal feelings about marijuana. If you smoke pot, you could potentially lose your freedom to practice nursing. Do I think this is right? No. It's ridiculous. Marijauna users are no more likely to have a drug problem than occassional alcohol drinkers. In fact, maybe they are less likely to have a problem, considering how highly addictive etoh is.

MichelleRN34 said:
I lost my license for over a year for smoking one joint....3 weeks later I had a drug test.....ruined my life for a while....I will never agian partake in any illegal drugs..

I'm sorry this happened to you, but the reality is that the situation you are describing is not all that likely. After a single use of marijuana, thc metabolites usually clear after just a few days, unless you are a chronic user. It's a common misconception that THC stays in your system for weeks-months. This is only true for heavy smokers.

https://www.ndci.org/sites/default/files/ndci/THC_Detection_Window_0.pdf

MichelleRN34, ADN, RN · Nov 23, 2013

I am obese. It is stored in fat cells. I was tested about a week later. I was an occasional user and lost my license over it. I learned from it. Won't happen again.

betelgeuse · Mar 21, 2014

I find it sad that none of you think its a double standard that people can drink alcohol when not at work, but cant smoke marijuana. Show me the research on that logic.

Twoyearnurse · Mar 21, 2014

The logic is simply that you will be positive for MJ even if you are not high...there isn't proof that it isn't done on the job. It is also illegal in most states. Now if it was legal AND a test could determine if it was only done off the clock id be okay with it.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2014

I don't care what people do in their free time.

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