cannabisnews.com: ‘Cannabis Nurse’ Gives Up His License





‘Cannabis Nurse’ Gives Up His License
Posted by CN Staff on November 24, 2006 at 18:33:42 PT
By Bennett Hall, Gazette-Times Business Editor
Source: Corvallis Gazette-Times
Oregon -- A local nurse and medicinal marijuana advocate fired by Samaritan Health Services for refusing to take a drug test has surrendered his nursing license rather than stop using pot. Under an agreement with the Oregon State Board of Nursing that took effect Nov. 8, it will be three years before Ed Glick can apply to have his license reinstated.
Illegal drug use violates the state law that governs nursing and is grounds for disciplinary action. In interviews with nursing board staff, Glick acknowledged that he “self-medicated with cannabis” and agreed to relinquish his license after more than 20 years as a nurse.“I admitted to using an illegal drug, and that violates the standards of practice for Oregon nurses,” Glick said this week.Barbara Holtry, a spokeswoman for the Oregon State Board of Nursing, said the law is clear on marijuana use.“All nurses have to abide by the Nurse Practice Act,” Holtry said.Glick might have been able to keep his license by entering the nurse monitoring program, a five-year probationary arrangement that requires chemical dependancy treatment and regular urinalysis, but he refused. He argues that marijuana is a beneficial substance that has been “demonized” by the government.“I’m not going to go into drug treatment because I admitted to using pot,” he said.Holtry said she couldn’t comment on the particular circumstances of Glick’s case but added that the monitoring program is only for nurses actively trying to overcome a chemical dependency.“If someone is not willing to comply with all those terms and conditions,” she said. “then obviously that is not an option for them.”Glick was terminated in April by Samaritan Health Services for refusing to submit to a drug test after a supervisor raised questions about gaps in patient paperwork. He fought his firing through a union grievance process but was unable to win his job back.Glick, 49, had worked at Samaritan for the past 15 years, most recently in the health care network’s regional mental health center in Corvallis. He had also become an outspoken advocate for medicinal marijuana, leading demonstrations, speaking at conferences and handing out business cards identifying him as a “cannabis nurse.”Although Oregon is one of about a dozen states that allows the drug to be used for medical purposes, the practice remains controversial, and Glick claimed his advocacy work was the real reason for his dismissal.A Samaritan official denied that charge, insisting Glick was terminated “for good cause.” Steve Jasperson, chief executive officer of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, told the Gazette-Times last spring that the hospital’s policies clearly state it can require a drug test if there is “reasonable suspicion” that an employee might be impaired.Glick continues to deny that he reported to work under the influence of marijuana or any other drug.“I’ve never been impaired or intoxicated for a moment at any nursing job,” he said. “All I am is an uppity nurse.”But he also admits that he occasionally uses marijuana to treat his own medical conditions, which include insomnia and pain from spinal problems, even though those problems are not severe enough to qualify for the Oregon medical marijuana program.In Glick’s view, it makes more sense to use a plant he believes to be safe and effective than to dose himself with synthetic sleep aids and pain-killers.“I do take ibuprofen now and then, but I don’t like pharmaceuticals,” he said.In the end, he said, it was his refusal to lie about his pot use that cost him his nursing license.“I probably could have lied my way through it, either by lying my way into the medical marijuana program or by lying about my use of the drug,” Glick said. “I didn’t really give (the nursing board) much of a choice in the matter.”Glick hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll apply for reinstatement of his nursing license when the three-year waiting period is up. After months of battling his former employer and the state over rules he disagrees with, he’s ready for a change.For now he’s going back to school, signing up for a general agricultural program at Oregon State University.“I don’t want to spend my life where I’m not wanted. ... It’s pretty likely that I’m done with nursing,” Glick said. “I’m going to work with plants for awhile.”Note: Medical marijuana advocate ends fight to keep practicing.Bennett Hall is the business editor for the Gazette-Times. Source: Corvallis Gazette-Times (OR)Author: Bennett Hall, Gazette-Times Business EditorPublished: Friday, November 24, 2006Copyright: 2006 Lee EnterprisesContact: bennett.hall lee.netWebsite: http://www.gazettetimes.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 26, 2006 at 14:44:06 PT
MikeEEEEE 
I just wanted to say hello. It's always good to see you. Have a Happy Holiday Season.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 26, 2006 at 13:58:43 PT
If it hasn't been said before
This is a brave guy.I hope he does well.Just another in a long line of injustices.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by legalizeit on November 25, 2006 at 20:14:40 PT
Nursing "drug therapy" - a witch hunt
A lady I know got nailed by California's nursing program drug treatment program (known by the grotesquely misleading term "diversion.") She had a minor problem with prescription drugs (Valium and Phrenelin(sp?)). She just happened to work at a place where there were two doctors with unwiped butts for heads that had some kind of vendetta against her, and when they somehow found out that she had once submitted a prescription renewal for one of her medications without going to her doctor, they turned her in to the nursing board. She was told that she could either enter the diversion program or she could face jail time. (Whether or not this was true she never looked into; I think she should have hired an attorney for this.)The hell that followed can only be explained by government bureaucracy (or something concocted by Satan himself.) After finding out she had been committed, she quit the tranquilizers cold-turkey, no problem. But they wouldn't even begin to put her on the road back to where she had been until she checked in AS AN INPATIENT to a behavioral medicine / detox center where they had demeaning and sadistic "counselors" that would respond to patients' comments with statements such as, "You farted?" She was required to do this at her own expense, approximately $30,000. After a month of this humiliating mistreatment, where she was prohibited even from speaking to her father, with whom she was very close, she was released but had to undergo a rigorous follow-up program of well over a year where she could not work in any capacity that had access to drugs (limited to blood banks and other such places), and had to attend several A.A. and N.A. meetings each week (what a joke; the meetings were filled with people addicted to tobacco and coffee!) as well as an old-bag-filled nurses' support group which was far from supportive. Plus she could be called any time by the old hag who ran the Johnny Pee program, and would have to report within two hours and BE WATCHED while she peed in the cup. Also, every three months she had to attend a board meeting which was run just like a parole board, and they would invariably say she needed more "treatment." Finally, almost two years after it started she was reinstated as a nurse. By then, however, her life was pretty much a wreck and she needed several more years to recover from the "recovery!" She has since segued into the massage therapy profession.While I admire this lady's perseverance and drive to get her RN license back, I salute the Oregon nurse for telling the profession to "shove it!" I certainly would have done the same. Why should I be "treated" and dehumanized for something I use by choice? The nursing profession deserves the shortage it is getting as far as I am concerned. Having to put up with dicknosed doctors and demanding patients all day, then able to get slammed into a living hell only on the word of a doctor, is not worth it. Where is the diversion program for doctors? For politicians? For radio talk show hosts? It's just plain stupid and I hope the nursing bureaucracy eventually wakes up and realizes that its insane, lock-step, one-size-fits-all programs are keeping aspiring nurses out of the field.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by global_warming on November 25, 2006 at 13:46:59 PT
There was a man
who was nailed to a wooden crossWho said that all debt belongs to God
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by global_warming on November 25, 2006 at 13:43:33 PT
Fear is the begging
Have you looked into the eyes of your Master?What is Your Eternal Debt?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by global_warming on November 25, 2006 at 13:20:17 PT
Tell me again
Are 'we all in the same long line?I can remember the sweet fragrance of rosesI can remember freedom
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by global_warming on November 25, 2006 at 13:06:21 PT
News is slow
and mostly disagreeablethe Pope is going to visit the Turkish people,http://tinyurl.com/yjj4ysTomorrow is the Sabbath Day for many ChristiansAnd the many who choose to live under the hand of secular existence, the news is slow, and painful.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by Richard Zuckerman on November 25, 2006 at 12:53:10 PT:
LADY SOVEREIGN ON MADD TV TONIGHT!!!
I noticed an entertaining video of "Lady Sovereign" on the television a couple of weeks ago. I subsequently noticed an article in the newspaper about her, describing her as a young lady from England. Last week, I noticed she has a web site, too, www.ladysovereign.com. I ripped out the newspaper article. "Lady Sovereign" will appear on tonight's MADD TV, on channel 5, at around 11 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time). As of the time of this writing, I plan to purchase two of her CDs and I'd like to obtain the DVD of her television video. I WOULD SUGGEST YOU PEOPLE VIDEOTAPE OR BURN A DVD OF TONIGHT'S MADD TV WITH "LADY SOVEREIGN."I hope "Lady Sovereign" is in favor of the legalization of "Marijuana" and in opposition to the World Health Organization's Codex Alimentarius!!!Richard Paul Zuckerman, Post Office Box 159, Metuchen, N.J. 08840-0159, (Cell telephone)(848) 250-8879.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by potpal on November 25, 2006 at 07:48:41 PT
#8 funny you said that.
Glick means luck in German.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by goneposthole on November 25, 2006 at 07:42:02 PT
It's a fair trade
The nurse is better off without the job. He is helping himself by continuing to smoke cannabis. The job is less important than his own well-being. He doesn't know how lucky he is.A true story:My wife's aunt was cut with a butcher knife when she was a child. It was a bad cut across her palm, and, after a few days, she developed blood poisoning. When her condition worsened, she was taken to a doctor to receive treatment. The doctor informed her parents that there was nothing that could be done and she was sent home to die. On the way back to the farm, they stopped at a neighbors farm for some guidance on what could possibly be done. The farmer's wife set out to the barn to retrieve some fresh cow manure. She placed the manure in a paper sack, plunged the wounded hand into the manure, and by morning, my wife's aunt was better and her hand healed. That was about 85 years ago. My wife's aunt is still kicking at the age of 93.Doctor's don't have all of the answers. Health care isn't always in hospitals and fancy medical degrees. It's right at home too.Give thanks, smoke some more cannabis. It's better for you than those legal drugs that kill.Have a good day.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by potpal on November 25, 2006 at 07:17:59 PT
A hero
Another one has stood up to the injustices that cannabis prohibition deals out daily. You'll notice they dropped the word 'good' from the parent organization name...Samaritan Health Services. More accurate. If they were good samaritans, Ed would still be employed.Thomas Edison once said...
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. Ed Glick, I salute you. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 25, 2006 at 06:36:52 PT
Just a Comment
I hope everyone is having a nice holiday weekend. I can't find any news to post but I will keep looking thruout the day. Iraq is really going downhill fast but I doubt they will make much of it until Monday. Enjoy the weekend everyone. We are.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by mayan on November 25, 2006 at 06:12:24 PT
Ed Glick
If the cannabis prohibitionists possessed half of the honesty and integrity that Glick has, there wouldn't be any cannabis prohibitionists. Hats off to him!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Move Over Rush Limbaugh - Kevin Barrett A Conservative Talk Show Host!? 
http://mujca.com/radio1.htmBarrett Colleague and Buddhist Scholar James K. Powell II Endorses MUJCA, 9/11 Truth:
http://mujca.com/powell.htmInterview with Graeme MacQueen, Buddhist scholar and a 9/11 researcher:
http://americanbuddhist.net/node/3390What Else is the Mainstream Media Lying About?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_matt_kje_061121_what_else_is_the_mai.htmJoin the Boston Tea Party for 9/11 Truth - 12/16/06:
http://boston911truth.org/teaparty/index.html9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Complicity Archive:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/911.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Telarus on November 24, 2006 at 23:31:21 PT:
ALOHA
Whig>> ++There are good healers who are neither doctors nor nurses.++My girlfriend is proof of that. She can do some amazing things to my back when I'm in pain. I've taught her a few techniques I've picked up in my esoterica researches (Hail Gulik), and she's had a few months formal instruction on massage. Course, as she says: working on her father, who worked at a steel mill for 10 years, taught her more than enough, the schooling just refined it.Re: the article, well I really like living in Oregon, especially because of people like Ed here. I've found the Aloha spirit here in OR to rival my home in Hawaii in some places. PROPS TO ED FOR STANDING UP FOR HIS BELIEFS!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by whig on November 24, 2006 at 21:48:08 PT
nurses and doctors and healers
They are not the same though they may overlap. A nurse may be a healer, and a doctor may be a butcher, it depends on the individual and the system in which they are part or regulated by.There are good healers who are neither doctors nor nurses.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by ekim on November 24, 2006 at 20:00:04 PT
GCW short demand yes
am just thinking about how this good soul has shot pass nursing -------and has joined those who would teach and heal -----
not giving in to a lie -- whats a more noble example to be hands on working to help make anothers life a little more rich ---bless them -- not do harm to them and their familys-- come on 20 years and OR has a Med use law for quite some time itself.hopefully a compassionate lawmaker that is concerned about who will be helping them in time of need [will take this case up as a cause that will help many. 
so that it will not take 
3 more years to reapply
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by The GCW on November 24, 2006 at 19:34:32 PT
Nurses are in demand.
There is a shortage of nurses.Why can a free American drink all the whiskey they want after work but not smoke the God-given cannabis plant?How many other citizens don't even attempt to work as nurses because of such discrimination?
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment