Nursing student taking drugs

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What would you do if you found out that a fellow nursing student is smoking marijuana?

Specializes in Hospice.

I am in BIG trouble here in the Sunshine state! Firstly the deviant boyfriend that I live with and takes care of my little ones and I so that I can go to school, well he's just gotta go! AS for farting in public.......he's gonna get life!

lol, i just went on dumblaws.com and checked out florida....

it is illegal to have oral sex, illegal to live together with someone you are not married to and commit lewd acts, illegal to sing in public while wearing a swimsuit, illegal to have sex in any other position than the missionary position, illegal to fart in a public place, illegal to break more than 3 dishes in one day, and illegal to fall asleep under the hair dryer at the salon.

take me to jail!

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Specializes in Cardiac & Acute Medicine.

If a person wants to do drugs on their own time, it's none of my business and I could care less. If they were high at clinicals, I would tell the instructor because I think it's a dangerous position for the patient. However, if they want to be stoned the other 156 hours of the week, I could care less. That's their choice.

And I don't agree that every law should be followed BECAUSE it's a law and that's the end-all be-all. Use your mind and reason a bit. I don't understand why marijuana is illegal in the first place, unless they are caring for someone or driving or something, who really cares what they want to do with their own body? They might as well make alcohol and smoking illegal too.

In Canada (or at least where I am), I'm 99% sure you can't get debarred for smoking a J on your own time. You can if you go to school with one though.

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Specializes in Cardiac & Acute Medicine.
If you resent nursing's high moral standards, why are you going to school to be one?

If you just nurse without questioning the rules and why they are there, you will end up being a terrible nurse and patient advocate.

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If you just nurse without questioning the rules and why they are there, you will end up being a terrible nurse and patient advocate.

How very true...because I'm pretty sure she will get some patients who are druggies...

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Wow.. I have just read all 16 pages of this discussion, and yet only 5 people have actually answered his/her question. Im going to be real honest with you. If this person was not in a clinical setting where they would be endangering yours or another persons life, then it really isn't any of your concern. So what if its illegal, that really is irrelavent to the situation. Alcohol is significantly more lethal than weed, and yet they both impair you mentally. Illegal things happen everyday and you would be fooling yourself if you think that you can make the world a better place by kicking someone out of nursing school just because she smokes a j on the weekend. If someone wants to use ANY drug for recreational use and lock themselves in their houses, then thats their business. I don't think its up to you to be the "weed" police officer. And trying to be one, I feel, would be crossing that fine line between being protective and just plain nosy.

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Specializes in Operating Room, Ortho, Neuro, Trauma.
Or that you never exceed the speed limit, for that matter....

You took my line!!! I bet no one in this thread has ever broke the speed limit to get to clinical on time. And no I don't smoke (tried it 20 years ago) but it is not txpatches place to tell unless txpatches was directly involved and something happened like an advance that made txpatches a little uncomfortable. What exactly were the circumstances that txpatches found out that a fellow student was smoking pot?

I would like to hear from txpatches :smokin:

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Specializes in Operating Room, Ortho, Neuro, Trauma.

For those of you who are already nurses, remember how hard you worked to get there? For those of you who are students (myself included..... Graduate May 09!!!), you know how hard we have worked to get here. How would you feel if your dream was stripped away because of one stupid mistake (if that is the case)? I would not encourage the OP to tell any instructor or anyone above but stay out of it or warm the student. However, if it continues to be a problem some course of action should be taken. Destroying someones career, life, dreams or future should not lie in the hands of one student.

That is my take on the situation since we have little information. We don't know if there is a grudge between the two, there is just way to much room to speculate here. Albeit you guys generated a great debate. Everyone needs forgiveness and we don't know all of the circumstances. We speculated. As nurses, aren't we supposed to gather data first?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
The truth is, you probably know several people who smoke marijuana, do illegal drugs or abuse "DR. PRESCRIBED" drugs. And yes, believe it or not, even Dr. prescribed drugs can be and are frequently abused.
Oh yeah, way more than people want to admit, and it's sad!

The amount of abused narcotics scares me more than a person lighting up a doobie every now and then on their free time. Now I don't advocate the use of illegal drugs, but I just don't see how it's my business if someone is smoking pot when they are not at work or seeing patients.

If there is any drug abuse or usage of any drugs, legal or illegal, that impair a person's judgment on clinical time, then that's an entirely different story and should absolutely be reported for patient safety.

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lets not forget that a lot of healthcare workers are hooked on drugs,partly due to the easy access to it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I'm sorry... it is not hypocritical. Smoking mj is illegal - drinking alcohol is not, when done in moderation. If alcohol is was more problematic than pot - then it would be completely illegal also. You are right, just because the law says one is legal and the other is not does not make one better than the other when you are drinking beyond the limit (and NO, i don't mean the legal limit). Pot has long term effects on the brain, lungs, heart, circulatory system etc... Guess we just have to agree to disagree...
Alcohol, even in moderation, has long-term health effects on the heart, circulatory system, liver, brain, etc. To say that alcohol would be completely illegal if it was more problematic than pot is just a very incorrect statement. Alcohol was illegal in this country, in the 1930's. It was brought back because it caused even MORE problems as an illegal substance than it did being legal, with organized crime and people who couldn't live without the drug.

I have never met a person who got into a crazed, ridiculous fight while they were stoned, however we see tons of bar fights from people who are drunk. Many people can drink responsibly, but many others still are unable to do so. MVA's due to alcohol is the leading cause of death in teenagers, who have easy access to the drug, even though it is illegal to them.

Marijuana is legal in California for medical purposes, and there are many good reasons for it. It's a much safer alternative to narcotics for pain, and is an effective method for reducing nausea. Our government has its reasons for not legalizing marijuana, and those reasons do not include it being a safer drug than alcohol.

So I agree that it is hypocritical to condone someone getting buzzed on a drink or two while judging someone who gets high every now and then. I also agree that people shouldn't break the law. That's why I hope some day marijuana will be legalized, if for no other reason than medical. I personally don't do it, but I know enough people who do, on their own time for medical and leisure purposes, and are very successful, productive human beings in their lives and at work, and do not endanger their own or other people's lives.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Nurses are public role models...and we should be held to obeying the law..just like everyone else..Ok, but that should include speeding, parking illegally, downloading ANY illegal music or documents, etc. I'm not advocating breaking the law. I just don't feel it's my personal job to tattle tail on everyone else. Endangering patients or children is one thing, but I don't think that's what the poster was asking...

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.
It's [MJ] a much safer alternative to narcotics for pain, and is an effective method for reducing nausea.

That's why I made my argument that it sucks that nurses are held to that standard in comparison to other majors just because I know if I were a microbio or english major, I could use MJ legally in Ca instead of taking a combo of muscle relaxers, NSAIDs, and narcotics. Then you factor in the pepcid for the ulcer from the NSAIDs. In fact, I am not even on narcotics right now because they dont work very well and I worry that I may become dependent and then get reflexive pain when I dont take them. :banghead:

Also, I always let my instructors know of my prescriptions and do not take them during clinicals at all. I think this is very responsible, and I just wish that I could also responsibly try MJ. I've never tried MJ for pain relief, but now that I have this injury, that I've had for almost a year, it'd be nice to exhaust all options.

This is just a specific case though, but it shows that you shouldnt pass judgment on someone's extracurricular events, especially if you dont know the whole story.... as long as it doesnt compromise patient safety. :redbeathe

This topic has definitely taken a turn from answering the OP's question to debating extracurricular use of MJ, alcohol, etc... I promised I wouldnt post anymore hehe but I cant stop :clown:

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