Nurses smoking weed?

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Hey nurses,

In honor of "420" tomorrow... As a health-care professional, what are your thoughts on smoking weed? Any nurses out there that smoke a joint here and there?

Cheers.

Sherri64,

That is one sketchy website in your post about mj deaths. And I'm not being cute.

Nothing seemed real: not the picture, not the article, and it was surrounded by ads that made me want to use hand sanitizer ASAP. Not sure if you believe that article or were just trolling. Or maybe you're just high as a kite.

I didn't quote your post bc the text of the link was so long and seemed like it was part of some web scam. Maybe I'm wrong but any site called Huzzlers is not one that I want to go to. Even if I'm standing in line at the supermarket- which is where I would expect it to be on a magazine rack with national enquirer and other tabloid dreck.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
ctp6BwAAACAAh9N7bHjCQAAADCEj6b21I4ogT0AAACAAh9P7QEAAABAPag9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCmD2gMAAACYMqg9AAAAgCnzP2INsR7WQfbyAAAAAElFTkSuQmCCThese are just a few sources:

Page not found | Huzlers

Marijuana Overdose – Signs Of Marijuana Overdose – Treating Marijuana Overdose

Marijuana Overdose Through Pot Edibles A Cause For Concern, Says CDC

http://www.projectknows.com/research/marijuana-overdose

Just google marijuana overdose. The data is there. People are shocked it can happen, let alone someone die from it. Rare but there. Especially the overdoses with edibles. The Huzlers site is online. It is titled 59 people die of Marijuana Overdose in Colorado and Washington. I'll try to post it again. 59 People Die of Marijuana Overdose in Colorado and Washington After Legalization

You may want to re-read your linked article:

Reporters are telling us that most of the individuals who died were cremated and had so much marijuana in there system that funeral home workers and crematorium workers were all Blazed as f*ck” while the cremations were happening and even reported to be high even after 5 days. Reporters are also saying that the families of the deceased also smoked their ashes and got extremely high” and the ashes are now being classified as a type of marijuana called Super OG death grip k*sh” and can only be found in the ashes of people who died on marijuana overdoses.

Huzlers is a satirical "news" site, basically the clickbait version of The Onion. Here is Huzler's own self-description:

Huzlers.com is the most notorious fauxtire entertainment website in the world founded by Pancho Villa in 1922. Huzlers is shared by trillions around the world and known for the most shocking headlines.
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Sherri64,

That is one sketchy website in your post about mj deaths. And I'm not being cute.

Nothing seemed real: not the picture, not the article, and it was surrounded by ads that made me want to use hand sanitizer ASAP. Not sure if you believe that article or were just trolling. Or maybe you're just high as a kite.

I didn't quote your post bc the text of the link was so long and seemed like it was part of some web scam. Maybe I'm wrong but any site called Huzzlers is not one that I want to go to. Even if I'm standing in line at the supermarket- which is where I would expect it to be on a magazine rack with national enquirer and other tabloid dreck.[/quote

I just found out last night that the Huzzler is some kind of tabloid and not to be trusted. Per the CDC there have been no death from smoking weed and overdosing. That does not take into account someone driving under the influence and being involved in an accident. I don't have that information.

I resent your statement that I may be high as a kite and all that other scam crap. I have never used MJ or any other illegal substance, nor have I ever abused a script. I was trying to find legitimate information on the dangers of MJ abuse. I advocate for medical MJ but not recreational. Your post was rude and insulting.

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Thanks MunoRN. I didn't know at the time that Huzlers is unrealiable. I usually check my sources before I ever post them and was in a hurry. The other sources are legit.

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Some of the studies being cited here actually makes me nervous about the amount of misinformation nurses could be giving their patients. I'm all for caution, but a few cross sectional studies, even if well designed, don't justify the definitive causal links that are being suggested in the above posts. Marijuana may be associated with mental health issues, but associations aren't causation as anyone who has taken a research class at any point will have heard, hopefully. Reason being is that the mental health issues could be underlying issues not caused by the marijuana itself. Using could be self medicating, or maladaptive coping like with other illicit drug use. So blaming marijuana use is kind of a stretch.

But back to my original point of vetting your articles and at least learning what makes for a good study before posting something claiming it as evidence. This may be a whole other debate, and sound incredibly elitist, but this is why a BsN should be entry to practice because you at least get some exposure to research methods and what makes for a good study vs a poorly designed one. Otherwise, who knows what other misinformation nurses are giving their patients on a variety of things based off some "study" that they read.

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I don't toke but I know other nurses who do.. Most nurses drink. I went out with a group once and watched an otherwise calm nurse drink an entire pitcher of Margaritas to herself as though it was water. Another nurse shot back straight vodka like they were chocolates.

If they started drug testing---including ETOH---most nurses would be dismissed in Canada.

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Some of the studies being cited here actually makes me nervous about the amount of misinformation nurses could be giving their patients. I'm all for caution, but a few cross sectional studies, even if well designed, don't justify the definitive causal links that are being suggested in the above posts. Marijuana may be associated with mental health issues, but associations aren't causation as anyone who has taken a research class at any point will have heard, hopefully. Reason being is that the mental health issues could be underlying issues not caused by the marijuana itself. Using could be self medicating, or maladaptive coping like with other illicit drug use. So blaming marijuana use is kind of a stretch.

But back to my original point of vetting your articles and at least learning what makes for a good study before posting something claiming it as evidence. This may be a whole other debate, and sound incredibly elitist, but this is why a BsN should be entry to practice because you at least get some exposure to research methods and what makes for a good study vs a poorly designed one. Otherwise, who knows what other misinformation nurses are giving their patients on a variety of things based off some "study" that they read.

As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant and paralegal degreed I am well aware of how to research for valid documentation. I did admittedly grab some things I found in a hurry as something to add to the discussion without validating the material. The one reference was totally some kind of tabloid reference. However, I do know for a fact that you can overdose on marijuana and require treatment because of it. But the CDC has reported that there have not been any overdose deaths, as opposed to etoh intoxication that averages 2200 deaths every year. However people have died in car accidents while being high on pot. One was my cousin, who was not the impaired driver but got hit head on by one.As nurses we need to learn to recognize the signs of someone who has overdosed on marijuana and have protocol in place to follow for treatment. So there is a lot of research out there that needs to still be done and research already done that needs to be validated. And people need to quit comparing etoh to MJ. Thats like comparing Dilaudid to tylenol. Makes no sense. Very different drugs.I apologize for posting in haste. Won't happen again.

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However, I do know for a fact that you can overdose on marijuana and require treatment because of it. But the CDC has reported that there have not been any overdose deaths, as opposed to etoh intoxication that averages 2200 deaths every year. However people have died in car accidents while being high on pot. One was my cousin, who was not the impaired driver but got hit head on by one.As nurses we need to learn to recognize the signs of someone who has overdosed on marijuana and have protocol in place to follow for treatment. So there is a lot of research out there that needs to still be done and research already done that needs to be validated. And people need to quit comparing etoh to MJ. Thats like comparing Dilaudid to tylenol. Makes no sense. Very different drugs.I apologize for posting in haste. Won't happen again.

So, the question is really of overdose vs adverse drug effect then. Two different concepts. An overdose implies a toxic state affecting actual organ function. Most drugs have a LD50 scoring (median lethal dose) and many researchers have tried to find this number for marijuana, but they just couldn't give animals enough THC to kill them. Though at those doses, I'd imagine it would be quite.....unpleasant.

So let's put aside the idea of overdosing on marijuana and focus on adverse drug effects. Someone can get a bad high, or just be sensitive to the drug, or just smoke some really potent product and have a strong reaction, or they got product laced with a different chemical like cocaine, meth or god knows what. Adverse drug effects are the inherent risk in anything from an energy drink to an aspirin to giving TPA for a stroke in an ER or ICU. Beyond marijuana being illegal, I hardly consider it to be any riskier than most other drugs. I would dare argue as to its safety comparatively.

I don't think I understand your comparison of alcohol and marijuana as comparing dilaudid and tylenol, however. They're different drugs, but do serve as an interesting example of how one legal drug could potentially be more damaging than one that was made illegal under less than forthright political interests and spurious claims by "experts" at the time. Also, the estimated LD50for alcohol in a 75kg human at one time is roughly 14 shots (40% ABV), give or take.

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Sherri64,

That is one sketchy website in your post about mj deaths. And I'm not being cute.

Nothing seemed real: not the picture, not the article, and it was surrounded by ads that made me want to use hand sanitizer ASAP. Not sure if you believe that article or were just trolling. Or maybe you're just high as a kite.

I didn't quote your post bc the text of the link was so long and seemed like it was part of some web scam. Maybe I'm wrong but any site called Huzzlers is not one that I want to go to. Even if I'm standing in line at the supermarket- which is where I would expect it to be on a magazine rack with national enquirer and other tabloid dreck.[/quote

I just found out last night that the Huzzler is some kind of tabloid and not to be trusted. Per the CDC there have been no death from smoking weed and overdosing. That does not take into account someone driving under the influence and being involved in an accident. I don't have that information.

I resent your statement that I may be high as a kite and all that other scam crap. I have never used MJ or any other illegal substance, nor have I ever abused a script. I was trying to find legitimate information on the dangers of MJ abuse. I advocate for medical MJ but not recreational. Your post was rude and insulting.

I replied that way bc I was truly worried that going to that link would put some sort of virus on my phone.

I apologize for the kite remark.

As for the tabloid remarks, I stand by my description of the website.

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So, the question is really of overdose vs adverse drug effect then. Two different concepts. An overdose implies a toxic state affecting actual organ function. Most drugs have a LD50 scoring (median lethal dose) and many researchers have tried to find this number for marijuana, but they just couldn't give animals enough THC to kill them. Though at those doses, I'd imagine it would be quite.....unpleasant.

So let's put aside the idea of overdosing on marijuana and focus on adverse drug effects. Someone can get a bad high, or just be sensitive to the drug, or just smoke some really potent product and have a strong reaction, or they got product laced with a different chemical like cocaine, meth or god knows what. Adverse drug effects are the inherent risk in anything from an energy drink to an aspirin to giving TPA for a stroke in an ER or ICU. Beyond marijuana being illegal, I hardly consider it to be any riskier than most other drugs. I would dare argue as to its safety comparatively.

I don't think I understand your comparison of alcohol and marijuana as comparing dilaudid and tylenol, however. They're different drugs, but do serve as an interesting example of how one legal drug could potentially be more damaging than one that was made illegal under less than forthright political interests and spurious claims by "experts" at the time. Also, the estimated LD50for alcohol in a 75kg human at one time is roughly 14 shots (40% ABV), giv"Quote

To clarify:

"Toxicity: Acute cannabis toxicity results in difficulty with coordination, decreased muscle, decreased concentration, slowed reaction time, slurred speech, and conjunctival injection. Although acute toxicity is benign in the average adult, the same cannot be said for children. A 250-1000 mg ingestion of hashish (up to 20% thc concentration) can result in obtundation within 30 minutes, apnea, bradycardia, cyanosis, or hyptonia in children.

(9) Fitzgerald KT, Bronstein AC, Newquist KL. Marijuana poisoning. Top Companion Anim Med 2013 Feb28(1):8-12 [Mediline]

Adverse Reactions: Chronic users may experience paranoia, panic disorder, fear or dysphonia. Transient psychotic episodes may also occur with cannabis use. Of great clinical significance, ventricular tachycardia has also been associated with use of this drug."

10)Wiegand TJ, Wax PM, Schwartz T, Finkelstein Y, Gorodetsky R. Brent J. The Toxicology Investigators Consortium Case Registry-the 2011 experience. J Med Toxicol: 2012 Dec 8(4):360-77. [Medline]

For anyone interested, please read Cannabinoid Poisoning: Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology at Medscape: Medscape Access

My reference to Dilaudid and Tylenol was intended to be the same as trying to compare apples and oranges when comparing pot and alcohol. Very different drugs, as are Dilaudid and Tylenol.

Bottom line is that MJ is a drug. By itself. No comparisons needed to any other drug other than it has an upside and a downside. Do the benefits outweigh the negatives? It all depends on the person and why they are using it and how they are using it.

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I replied that way bc I was truly worried that going to that link would put some sort of virus on my phone.

I apologize for the kite remark.

As for the tabloid remarks, I stand by my description of the website.

Thanks for the apology and that was a bad site. I don't know about a virus but it was just some stupid tabloid thing. No problems. My bad.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Ortho, Med/Surg, ICU, Quality.
I think marijuana is a crutch. I hate to think I am being cared for in the hospital by persons who need a crutch. Marijuana is not only illegal in most states it is psychologically additive. A well adjusted person does not need a mind lifting drug. I am against the use of marijuana in all cases especially by persons who are supposed to be mirroring good health practices to help create healthy individuals in our care.

Curious to know if you feel this way about alcohol as well?

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