Nurses smoking weed?

Jaecee7 · Apr 28, 2016

So... My answer is yes, but with certain "ties". First, let me start by saying, I was ... Hmmm, let's say an avid extracurricular smoker prior to my licensing. I enjoyed it, but, like many of you, I worked way too hard to take the chance of losing my license. I would NEVER go to work under the influence. That being said, I have chronic pain issues that now, even my medications are not helping and all I get is more prescriptions when I go to pain clinic or my MD. This is no way to live. I'm not 90, I'm only 34 and would love to have the majority of my pain relieved. So yes, I would partake when not at work and plenty of time before returning for a shift.

AzazelLilith · Apr 28, 2016

I've been looking through this, I don't smoke anymore, but I am wondering can health professionals use marijuana in legal states? Or with a medical marijuana card? If so how?Thanks! ^.^

LTACHrn · Apr 28, 2016

If it were legal I would, but it's not. So I don't. Here's an interesting thought though: never have I ever seen or heard of a nurse losing their liscense or job because of testing pos for weed (although I'm sure there are many). However, how many nurses have you known or known that have lost everything from coming to work under the influence of alcohol, caught stealing narcotics, or becoming addicted to a substance and it affecting their job. Weed has a stigma but there are so many substances out there that affect nurses more. We are tested for it on hire, if we encounter a work place injury, or there is a drug missing at shift change. It's not worth it, I know nurses that do, and that's there choice. I don't think it's makes them bad nurses but it's all too risky.

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 28, 2016

Never tried it and I don't use it but I have no moral objection to it. I would like to be able to try it but I have double the liability that most of you do because I have a license and a visa that I won't put in jeopardy. It's not advisable for any nurse to risk their livelihood over something like this. Therefore, I'll just stick to my occasional glass of wine. I think it will eventually be legalized but I wonder if that will change the implications for nurses at all. It stays in the body so long, unlike alcohol, so it's not like you can even use occasionally. I'd stay clear if I were you.

Slhengy · Apr 28, 2016

I'm not sure that using an illicit substance to treat the symptoms of a chronic disease caused by used of other illicit substances is a solid platform for an argument.
Regardless of personal opinions, using marijuana in any form, is against federal law and could result in a loss of license. Most of us, I would assume, have too much invested in our careers to risk it on a cheap high. Even more concerning is the issue of patient safety, as numerous studies have demonstrated cognitive impairment evident up to 4 weeks after use. It is highly lipophilic and is altering at very low concentrations in the blood stream.

We can make those same claims with the use of alcohol and even more so, per multiple studies. There is absolutely no difference.

shrinkyrn · Apr 28, 2016

As an Addictions Nurse who saw nurses referred in for "treatment" and having to enter the Impaired Nurses State Program due to DUI or being positive for ANY substance....(and you know pot is in your system for about a month), I don't believe it's worth the risk...the program for impaired nurses is a stringent program....just seems like a PIA to have to go thru for a couple tokes on a joint!

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 28, 2016

I've been looking through this, I don't smoke anymore, but I am wondering can health professionals use marijuana in legal states? Or with a medical marijuana card? If so how?Thanks! ^.^

It's already been posted in this thread that there are states where it's legal, people have been fired, and unsuccessfully sued. So, can you use it? If you get the proper documentation. Can you lose your job for it? Absolutely! Just like everything else, there are consequences. What are you personally willing to risk?

allnurses Guide · Apr 28, 2016

We can make those same claims with the use of alcohol and even more so, per multiple studies. There is absolutely no difference.

There is a difference, alcohol is federally legal and marijuana is not. Alcohol also does not accumulate in the body and impair function several weeks out from a single use, there could be an argument that chronic alcohol abuse does have lasting cognitive effects, but again, the law is the law regardless.

Slhengy · Apr 28, 2016

There is a difference, alcohol is federally legal and marijuana is not. Alcohol also does not accumulate in the body and impair function several weeks out from a single use, there could be an argument that chronic alcohol abuse does have lasting cognitive effects, but again, the law is the law regardless.

The federal laws will change soon as other states come on board. I guarantee it!

MJ does not impair bodily functions several weeks out from using it per the doctors I know in Colorado that give it to their patients. That is just BS.

I see patients with ETOH withdrawing....I don't see this with patients who are using MJ to manage their chronic illness.

MunoRN, RN · Apr 28, 2016

There is a difference, alcohol is federally legal and marijuana is not. Alcohol also does not accumulate in the body and impair function several weeks out from a single use, there could be an argument that chronic alcohol abuse does have lasting cognitive effects, but again, the law is the law regardless.

That may have come out differently than you intended, since what accumulates in your body are non-psycho active metabolites, not active components of the drug. Both alcohol and marijuana have acute impairment and longer term impairment phases, both are dose dependent and the evidence for each is similar. The way our laws work is that federal laws only apply to what state's have not addressed, which is why in states where the two conflict it's residents are held to the state law.

Li, M. C., Brady, J. E., DiMaggio, C. J., Lusardi, A. R., Tzong, K. Y., & Li, G. (2012). Marijuana use and motor vehicle crashes. Epidemiologic reviews,34(1), 65-72.

Salomonsen-Sautel, S., Min, S. J., Sakai, J. T., Thurstone, C., & Hopfer, C. (2014). Trends in fatal motor vehicle crashes before and after marijuana commercialization in Colorado. Drug and alcohol dependence, 140, 137-144.

Blood testing for active THC levels was not all that common a decade ago, in Colorado it's now widely available and is as common as blood testing for alcohol blood levels, which is why there has been a predictable increase in the number of people who test positive. There's no doubt it's unsafe to drive under the influence of either marijuana or alcohol, but there's no evidence there has been sudden increase in the number of marijuana-caused accidents.

Slhengy · Apr 28, 2016

This is a recent study.

By Emily Underwood Jan. 18, 2016 , 3:00 PM

Roughly half of Americans use marijuana at some point in their lives, and many start as teenagers. Although some studies suggest the drug could harm the maturing adolescent brain, the true risk is controversial. Now, in the first study of its kind, scientists have analyzed long-term marijuana use in teens, comparing IQ changes in twin siblings who either used or abstained from marijuana for 10 years. After taking environmental factors into account, the scientists found no measurable link between marijuana use and lower IQ.

Twins study finds no evidence that marijuana lowers IQ in teens | Science | AAAS

MunoRN, RN · Apr 28, 2016

When I lived in Denver, it was legal on the state level, yes, but employers still screened you and refused to employ anyone who tested positive for marijuana. It's still illegal federally. Most employers screen for nicotine, now, too, and refuse to employ those who use it, even though it is not illegal at all.
The employers in CO are actually more stringent with drug screens because they believe that the pothead culture will cause employees to slip up more. (How do I know? I asked a few.)
As far as there being no repercussions from overdose, that is not true. Here is a link: Medscape: Medscape Access
Here is a quote if you don't want to read the whole thing:
"Acute cannabis toxicity results in difficulty with coordination, decreased muscle strength, decreased hand steadiness, postural hypotension, lethargy, decreased concentration, slowed reaction time, slurred speech, and conjunctival injection. Large doses of THC may produce confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety, and agitation, but most episodes remit rapidly. Chronic users may experience paranoia, panic disorder, fear, or dysphoria."
Frankly, I don't want you handling my care if you are suffering from amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, etc. I really don't want you coming at me with needles if your hands are unsteady and your coordination is off.
You may use the argument that cannabis is better than alcohol, spaghetti, or whatever, but it doesn't matter. It is still dangerous in and of itself.
I have seen people put forth the argument that driving drunk is worse than driving high. Again, it doesn't matter. Driving high is still dangerous in and of itself. Slowed reaction times and decrease in coordination are not qualities I admire in drivers, especially when I watch them weaving while they're trying to roll a joint. (Oh, Denver...) If you're so stupid that you don't know to pull over, you're too stupid to drive.
If you use MJ medically and responsibly, good for you! That's awesome. I have no beef with you. I actually applaud you for trying to find something that works for you. Just don't expect to do that and be a nurse.

That's at least a little misleading. Marijuana "overdose" currently only exists in theory. A lethal overdose has never been known to occur. The general consensus on the amount required to cause acute harm is roughly equivalent to smoking/ingesting an amount equivalent to what a hay barn could hold in a single sitting. Even if you cherry pick and use a loose definition of harm, the low-end amount that could cause harm is thought to be around 90mg/kg worth of peak serum levels, which would require smoking about 250,000 joints in one sitting, or about 2,000 joints per minute.

There's no arguing that marijuana is impairing and carries risks, just like alcohol and many prescribed drugs do, and nobody should drive while impaired by any of them, but to imply that the relative safety of marijuana compared to other drugs/substances used for recreational and therapeutic purposes is similar is pretty ridiculous. Drug safety is usually described in terms of therapeutic index and LD50. There no established LD50 for marijuana since the amount required to kill someone is physically impossible to ingest, and even the therapeutic index is largely theoretical. The amount of alcohol typically used for recreational purposes, or opiates or benzos used for therapeutic purposes is fairly close to the amount that causes harm, and that ratio clearly is far different than that of marijuana.