Weed and work.

[LDAthleteNurse]

A classmate of mine is a heavy cannabis user. To the point where he has not even applied for any positions yet because he is certain that his pre-screening drug test will come back positive. He says that he just has to stay clean long enough to pass the drug screening because "hospitals hardly ever drug tests to nurses."

How true is this? How often are nurses screened at YOUR facility? I was going to ask my preceptor, but I think me asking will look weird..

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Here is the simple truth. I KNOW I cannot change the archaic / politically charged rules regarding the use of marijuana. I am an informed voter and use my vote accordingly.

In MY case.. I am neither old or in the way. I have earned the right to smoke whatever I choose. My employer does not give a rat's patooty what I smoke.

Much like lawyers, accountant's and doctor's employers.

Now where did I put that whisk?

You also work from home and don't have direct patient contact.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Maybe it's you can lead a horse to grass, but... Nevermind.

How about, you can lead a horse to grass but you can't make him inhale??

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

[ATTACH]20202[/ATTACH]

Crust is a lil wobbly.

DAMN those look good.

[Preemienurse23]

I would talk to your instructor. If he's to the point that he has an addiction, he's dangerous. It would be horrible he he hurt or killed someone because he was impaired or unable to concentrate because he hasn't been able to smoke.

[rudecat]

This is not following the College of Nurses best practice guidelines .... Risk to patients and not taking care of himself. This needs to be addressed .

[30yearsrn]

I have worked in the same urban teaching hospital for 32 years, the last 29 in surgical/trauma ICU. Have never been drug tested...just doesn't happen here. I have been injured at work, as have many colleagues over the years. None of us have ever been drug tested at employee health.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Since THC stays in the body longer and pot is becoming legal across the board, do you think employers will ever look at THC levels, etc?

Like how DUI can blow a trace amount into a Breathalyzer and not be considered impaired?

Yes, as they do more research on it, I think I the future they will do that. I don't think it will be for many years, though.

[Muser69]

I 'll take a pothead RN over a drunk RN anyday.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I 'll take a pothead RN over a drunk RN anyday.

As Dogen is fond of saying, that's a false dichotomy.

I would prefer neither a stoned nor a drunk nurse taking care of me.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

As Dogen is fond of saying, that's a false dichotomy.

I would prefer neither a stoned nor a drunk nurse taking care of me.

Yes. Good point.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

I 'll take a pothead RN over a drunk RN anyday.

Most hospitals have a policy against smoking 100% legal substances like cigarettes or using chewing tobacco. They drug test us in the beginning and reserve the right to drug test us. They add the nicotine drug test on too (it looks like a pregnancy test).

Drinking and working isn't allowed at any hospital I know of either.

[toomuchbaloney]

Most hospitals have a policy against smoking 100% legal substances like cigarettes or using chewing tobacco. They drug test us in the beginning and reserve the right to drug test us. They add the nicotine drug test on too (it looks like a pregnancy test).

Drinking and working isn't allowed at any hospital I know of either.

Unfortunately, people don't presume that a nurse who drinks alcohol on off time reports to work while impaired while they assume that the nurse who smokes pot does. Yep, recreational drinking doesn't make one an alcoholic in the eyes of others but recreational marijuana use automatically qualifies the user as a "pothead" or "loser" to scores of people who have lived a life time of hearing lies and misrepresentations about cannabis. We won't even talk about how nurses who might utilize cannabis to treat anxiety or insomnia or other things like nausea must live with the ongoing judgement from their peers. Our society would much rather, for some reason, that those people purchase a pharmaceutical to treat those things (and deal with the side effects of those drugs).

We will get the laws relative to cannabis changed but it has already been too long for some who have suffered and died while waiting.