Positive drug test letter from BON

[Sandsponge]

The board of nursing just sent me a letter that they discovered I had a positive drug screen from my previous employer. This was not for a diversion, this is for illicit drug use. I now have another good nursing job in another state and I did not tell this employer about my positive drug screen. I have been with this employer for 3 months. I was hoping my previous employer would not report this instance to the BON, but I just found out today by means of a letter from my previous state BON. What should I do? What is going to happen. I'm scared that I'm now going to lose out on this great job, lose my license, or even go to jail. I already signed a one year lease for an apartment in my new state and I'm the only bread winner for my family. Will the new state find out?

[Croberta]

*** show, for real. Nowimclean sounds happy about it. JS

[April Carico]

@exp626 has great advice- do NOT do anything drastic that the BON has not mandated you to do. Do not attempt to surrender your license. Keep working your nursing job. 
I was notified of a positive drug test for pre-employment contract by my agency in March 2025. I am licensed in Ohio (compact state) and my contract was in North Carolina. I my test was positive for cocaine. I denied ever using any drugs including cocaine. My agency employer reported me to the OBON and I received an email about 3 weeks later from them requesting a teams meeting with me. I responded about a week later asking to postpone our meeting until I could secure legal representation. I found a lawyer and he only wanted $1000 retainer, which I put on a credit card. 
At this point we have had our meeting with the BON rescheduled three times, once I was late but the second meeting they called 45 minutes late and the investigator said his computer was down. The investigator offered me the opportunity to tell my side of the story but my attorney said other then a denial, we have nothing else to offer out explain. The third meeting was today and they never emailed the link for the Teams meeting or called my attorney. 
I'm hoping this may blow over. We will see. Perhaps since I have an attorney they are not as interested in pursuing- I have no idea. But they are certainly very disorganized in their investigation! 
In the meantime, I secured another contract (at the same North Carolina hospital!) with another agency, and of course did not divulge this information to them.. as my license is still active in the initial investigation stage.
My advice: retain an attorney at any cost. Beg, borrow, steal, take out a loan, whatever you need to do. I almost didn't retain this particular lawyer because he is a criminal defense attorney and not not a nursing license attorney. But he has represented nurses who were accused of diversion, which is a criminal case. 
If I had attempted to speak to the BON without an attorney, I believe they would have pressed me into admitting or confessing damaging information and incriminating myself. They certainly want to hear more than a denial, but that's all they are going to get from me and my attorney. 
I will post updates here. What has occurred with your case since your initial post?