Patient Monitoring and Marijuana Use
Any doctor who prescribes opiate painkillers is required by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to monitor for inappropriate use of the prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse is a very big problem in this world and prescribing doctors should feel morally obligated to make sure the drugs he/she prescribes are not doing any harm. Patients should also welcome monitoring because it improves safety by looking for hidden problems. Two types of monitoring are used by most doctors: Urine Drug Testing and Prescription Monitoring Systems. I use both in my practice. By monitoring, I am able to identify addiction behavior, prescription abuse, prescription non-compliance, and dangerous poly-chemical use. Monitoring is not fool-proof or perfect. The information gathered serves as pieces to a puzzle and means to an open, honest dialogue. In this imperfect world, patient monitoring is necessary for anyone who treats pain with chemicals.
With that said, those who prescribe marijuana should also be concerned about patient monitoring. Many people are using multiple substances from multiple doctors. The interactions between these mind-altering substances can have serious personal and public safety consequences. Just as I do not allow those who use opiates to drink alcohol, I do not allow those who use opiates to use marijuana and vise-a-versa. Mixing chemicals exponentially increases the risk for disaster.
Now that the federal government has relaxed its regulations about medical marijuana, we should all start wondering about the implications. Are those who prescribe marijuana monitoring properly? Are those who use marijuana mixing it with other mind-altering substances? Is that driver next to you driving under the influence? Until something bad happens, Americans have become comfortably numb to the use of chemicals from caffeine to morphine and now to marijuana.
Recently, a 17 year old died from a heroin over-dose. That woke-up this town and local law enforcement to take a harder look at what we allow to happen right under our nose. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that prescription opioid painkiller deaths are higher than deaths from illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. But don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, all chemicals have the potential to cause harm. Any chemical use can quickly turn into a harmful or dangerous situation if not properly monitored and regulated.
As a doctor, I am happy to diligently monitor in order to protect my patients and the public from the harmful effects of chemicals. I hope that the federal government does not completely give in to the wants of the people and relax all regulations about mind-altering substances. Of course, the government does not have an obligation to do no harm. But, I do.
Leave a Reply