Nursing student taking drugs

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

i'd only report it if i saw it effecting their patients. if i could tell it was impairing the nurses skills. some people i know smoke pot and have faster reflexes than i do! lol. so it would depend on it's effect on them and if it intefered with the care they were giving patients. overall though i try to mind my business unless i see something that is hurting a patient.

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Here is my source....which shows that every state in the union, you will either pay a fine or do jail time for posession.

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4516

First of all, not in Alaska.

Secondly, just because you pay a fine doesn't make it a CRIME. If I counted correctly there are 11 states where it is decriminalized to an extent. It's basically like getting a parking violation.

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That doesn't equal LEGAL...that just means you pay a fine instead of going to jail.

Just like a minor speeding ticket...it's still against the law but you dont' go to jail for it..you pay a fine.

Parking in handicap..still against the law but you don't go to jail for it, you pay a fine.

IF YOU HAVE TO PAY A FINE that means it's ILLEGAL.

All I'm saying is that the poster said it wasn't a CRIME to which you told him to cite his source because you haven't heard of any states where it's not a crime. He didn't say it wasn't ILLEGAL. I

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Ok we're getting off topic...back to the original question!

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I would tip off the head nursing instructor. Our school does "random" drug testing. Funny it always seems to be the same couple people with a couple odd balls thrown in there.

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That doesn't equal LEGAL...that just means you pay a fine instead of going to jail.

Just like a minor speeding ticket...it's still against the law but you dont' go to jail for it..you pay a fine.

Parking in handicap..still against the law but you don't go to jail for it, you pay a fine.

IF YOU HAVE TO PAY A FINE that means it's ILLEGAL.

All I'm saying is that the poster said it wasn't a CRIME to which you told him to cite his source because you haven't heard of any states where it's not a crime. He didn't say it wasn't ILLEGAL. I

Exactly. BabyLady, you are forgetting that there is a difference between simply being illegal, and being a criminal offense. For example, parking tickets result from an illegal action, but it is not a criminal offense, so you can get as many parking tickets as you like, and as long as you pay them, you will have no criminal record. In some states, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is treated the same way. Also, like I mentioned before, in several California cities, the local police departments have even decided to stop ticketing people for personal use/possession. My cousin lives in San Fran, and from what she tells me, you can literally be smoking a J in the park and as long as you aren't breaking any other laws, nothing will happen to you. I believe Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, West Hollywood, and one or two other cities in California treat MJ the same way. The point, for those of you that keep crying "ILLEGAL", is that the laws and perception of marijuana are rapidly changing in some parts of the country, so there is really no basis for judging the actions of others based on the strict laws in one's own home state.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
Exactly. BabyLady, you are forgetting that there is a difference between simply being illegal, and being a criminal offense. For example, parking tickets result from an illegal action, but it is not a criminal offense, so you can get as many parking tickets as you like, and as long as you pay them, you will have no criminal record. In some states, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is treated the same way. Also, like I mentioned before, in several California cities, the local police departments have even decided to stop ticketing people for personal use/possession. My cousin lives in San Fran, and from what she tells me, you can literally be smoking a J in the park and as long as you aren't breaking any other laws, nothing will happen to you. I believe Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, West Hollywood, and one or two other cities in California treat MJ the same way. The point, for those of you that keep crying "ILLEGAL", is that the laws and perception of marijuana are rapidly changing in some parts of the country, so there is really no basis for judging the actions of others based on the strict laws in one's own home state.

Something being illegal and something being a crime is the same thing. Pick up a copy of Black's Law Dictionary and you will find that it is true.

I was not debating on whether or not someone should use MJ or not...I already posted my opinion on that (if you care to search for it).

I was responding to a post that said that in "states" (that's plural) and in NY specifically, that it was not a crime, and I posted a souce to show differently.

You are correct about Alaska...but not about California..you still pay a fine for it...it's $100.

Even public parking tickets are public record...I sure as heck wouldn't want someone doing a background check on me for a job in a hospital and finding multiple charges against me of $100 for having MJ.

You can be assured in those states where it's "decriminalized" to a misdemeanor fine....they do.

The point is...it's not worth the risk to your profession.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, LTC.

True, it's a matter of semantics. In NY pot is decriminalized. The first two offenses are simple tickets. If you never do anything illegal good for you, you're a model citizen and I have no problem with that. If you ever had two glasses of wine and drove home, you're as guilty as the pot smoker, maybe even more so because you have put other drivers in jeopardy. Also, drinking used to be illegal in this country and now it's not. When I was a kid, they changed the laws on the drinking age nearly every year, from 21 to 18, then to 19, 20 and back to 21. With the laws being so flexible, who knows what will happen next. I think the original person who was 'concerned' that her co-worker was smoking pot was making a character judgement and I don't agree with that. Culturally as well, marijuana is used all over the world in religious ceremonies, or is completely legal. So, if you want to debate we could go on all day. It's an opinion question and there will be thousands of different ones. I still say unless the nurse smokes at work, or sells to kids or something equally abhorrent it's his/her business not yours.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I still say unless the nurse smokes at work, or sells to kids or something equally abhorrent it's his/her business not yours.

...and if you had looked up my previous posts and read them...you would find that I agreed with you on this point.

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I'm sorry... these responses are absurd! Anti-depressants, sleep aids... DR PERSCRIBED meds are one thing... absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. And - to not say anything about a fellow student or co-worker abusing drugs... come on people! :confused:

It's ILLEGIAL :banghead:... it's WRONG :banghead: ... it's DANGEROUS!:banghead: These students/professionals have real people's lives in their hands!!! If I KNEW that a student in my class - or a co-worker was abusing drugs - of ANY kind... I would go to our superior - IMMEDIATELY!

Please - Please do the right thing! This person could be caring for MY husband or son one day!!!

:no::no::no:

I feel like that even though the Dr. perscribed the meds, doesn't mean they can't be abused and even then the pt is at risk. I think that you should mind your own business unless that person is a threat to their pts health... To each their own even if that means illegial or legal drugs unless THE PT IS AT RISK then THE superior should be spoken with immediately...:clown:

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legal doesnt = good

illegal doesnt = bad

many laws are passed to enforce a particular groups agenda......

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I'm sorry... these responses are absurd! Anti-depressants, sleep aids... DR PERSCRIBED meds are one thing... absolutely NOTHING wrong with them. And - to not say anything about a fellow student or co-worker abusing drugs... come on people! :confused:

It's ILLEGIAL :banghead:... it's WRONG :banghead: ... it's DANGEROUS!:banghead: These students/professionals have real people's lives in their hands!!! If I KNEW that a student in my class - or a co-worker was abusing drugs - of ANY kind... I would go to our superior - IMMEDIATELY!

Please - Please do the right thing! This person could be caring for MY husband or son one day!!!

:no::no::no:

I totally agree.

Considering TXPATCHES hasn't visited this thread to answer any questions I can only assume this thread was started simply to start some conversation. If not here is my opinion: We take a drug test to get into nursing school and to get a job for a reason. If I knew for a fact that a fellow student was smoking pot, I would report them. Plain and simple. People who can't follow the rules don't deserve a spot in a program that others (who can follow the rules) do deserve. Just like I would report and student for cheating or mistreating a patient. There isn't a gray area.

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