Can nurses use medical marijuana?

silverbat · Dec 10, 2014

What I was told by bothe NM and MO BON -- is that even if MJ is legal in that state, it is still illegal on a federal level and until it is LEGAL on he federal level, it will remain a no-no as far as BONs ( those two anyway) are concerned. I was told that if it were federally legalized, then the use of MJ would probably be the same as any other drug such as alcohol or any prescribed medication, and that would be all about impairment.

toomuchbaloney · Dec 16, 2014

Of course nurses may use medicinal marijuana...just like other folks might. They just have no guarantee that their employer will not dismiss them for the use.

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2014

mellowdude said:
Once cannabis moves from it's stupid listing under the scheduled 1 class, a lot more places will allow employees to use cannabis in the off time. Once the feds stop criminalizing it, more hospitals will allow employees to use it.
Hospitals get funds from the feds and hospitals don't want to loose that. So, they play along with the feds.

Hospitals will likely still not allow employees to use marijuana even if it is legal on the federal level. For example, many hospitals legally are allowed to not employ those who smoke, even though it is legal on the federal level.

I don't see hospitals changing their tune even if marijuana becomes legal on the federal level in the near future (or ever).

toomuchbaloney · Dec 17, 2014

bethann27 said:
In my area hospitals are doing hair strand testing for nicotine! You smoke = no job

This practice causes every libertarian nerve in my body to vibrate with anger at the abuse of civil rights it represents. The trends are not favorable for a "free" people, IMV.

elkpark · Dec 17, 2014

toomuchbaloney said:
This practice causes every libertarian nerve in my body to vibrate with anger at the abuse of civil rights it represents. The trends are not favorable for a "free" people, IMV.

Why? No one is restricting your right to smoke. You have every right to smoke. And the employer has every right to choose to not employ smokers. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Smokers are free to smoke, and to find employers that are willing to hire smokers.

toomuchbaloney · Dec 18, 2014

elkpark said:
Why? No one is restricting your right to smoke. You have every right to smoke. And the employer has every right to choose to not employ smokers. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Smokers are free to smoke, and to find employers that are willing to hire smokers.

why are citizens required to submit to that sort of a very personal search simply to have a job?

elkpark · Dec 18, 2014

toomuchbaloney said:
why are citizens required to submit to that sort of a very personal search simply to have a job?

They aren't. They can choose to if they want to work for a particular employer that requires it, but no one is making them work for a particular employer or "submit" to that kind of search. People are completely, entirely free to only work for employers that don't have those kind of policies (and plenty don't).

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 18, 2014

toomuchbaloney said:
why are citizens required to submit to that sort of a very personal search simply to have a job?

No one is holding a gun to their head forcing them to work there, and no where else.

Smokers are not a protected class. It is a choice with consequences.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 18, 2014

toomuchbaloney said:
why are citizens required to submit to that sort of a very personal search simply to have a job?

Because citizens are CHOOSING a healthcare career that involves obtaining a professional LICENSE, the state has ultimate authority on granting licensure, creating laws and regulation of the profession to protect the public from harm. Healthcare employers have the same duty to protect patients seeking care from harm and remain solvent doing so.

Citizens like Americans for Non-Smokers Rights are filing lawsuit regarding second hand exposure to smoking + advocating for clean air. As effect of second hand smoke became apparent in the 80's and 90's, Hospitals responded to duty to promote and protect public health by instituting no smoking policies. In the workplace, smokers incur greater medical costs and more lost productivity than nonsmokers. They also impose costs on their nonsmoking coworkers. 3

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that for each smoking employee, an employer shoulders an additional $3,391 per year in costs- including $1,760 in lost productivity and $1,623 in excess medical expenses. The Patient Protection Affordable Health Care Act actually recognizes the increased healthcare costs associated with smoking employees by allowing insurers to raise smokers' insurance premiums up to 50 percent over those paid by non-smokers. 4

1. Licensure of Nurses: An Integral Part of Public Protection

2. 1984:The economic costs of the health effects of smoking

3. 2001 The Financial Impact of Smoking on Health-related Costs

4. The Value-And Peril-Of Imposing A Premium Differential On Smokers

toomuchbaloney · Dec 18, 2014

We will have to agree to disagree.

I don't believe that corporations have a right to regulate the personal life or behaviors of the citizens.

I believe we are free.

I believe that if we are not capable of doing a job or are reporting to work in a condition which would jeopardize our patients then the BON and the employer have a dog in the fight. In the absence of that what the citizens do in their personal time is NOTB and is an unecessary intrusion into the private lives of the masses.

But hey, what do you expect from a libertarian from Alaska?

cwk84 · Jan 8, 2018

How many take ADD medication or other prescription drugs? Are you saying they shouldn't be nurses? My wife has ADD and anxiety and she takes her prescription drugs as prescribed and she's a successful Ph.D. in Biochemistry. She's alert and awake whereas other people who didn't get enough sleep but are otherwise healthy aren't. This whole drug testing stuff is discriminatory. In Germany, no one tests you for drugs because it is your BUSINESS. Of course, if you show up at work intoxicated then good riddance. Honestly, how many Doctors and Nurses are sleep deprived to the point where their work performance suffers? Do they get tested for 'sleep deprivation' and kicked out? Don't be ridiculous. Either you kick everyone out who drinks, takes prescription drugs, is sleep deprived or you stop discriminating against minorities who need to take certain drugs to function properly. This society really is a pain....

cwk84 · Jan 8, 2018

Meriwhen said:
I stand duly educated on the uses of medical marijuana ? I have to admit that my experiences with it have been with chronically ill patients, and I wasn't aware of other conditions that it may be used for...and I live in California, no less. This info is enlightening.
I still harbor some concern about the health of nurses who need to use medical marijuana though.

Your concern is irrational. How many Nurses are sleep deprived? Do they get tested and fired? Who do you think would be more awake and alert a person who smokes weed occasionally on their off-days or a person who is sleep deprived 24/7? Are you telling me that the sleep-deprived person is going to be more alert than the person who chooses to smoke pot recreationally on their off-days? Ridiculous. I can't even express my anger without going off the rails. The way you and other people think, or society for that matter, is just disappointing. People drink alcohol all the time which is of NO use. It doesn't treat any illnesses nor does it relieve pain but people are allowed to drink as much as they want on their off-days and they get to keep their jobs but people who like to blaze up on their off-days to relieve stress are treated like morons who can't perform at work.