Many people are turning to CBD oil to help them deal with aches, pains, and difficulties. This product is certainly not illegal, although it is barely regulated. Taking CBD oil can cause difficulties for your job if you use it at the wrong time. If you are facing discipline for CBD use, you should turn to a nursing license defense attorney.
Nurses Can Be Disciplined If CBD Use Interferes with Their Job Duties
The main issue is how and where the nurse uses CBD oil. While a nurse can use CBD outside work, they cannot use it while they are on the job or right before they begin a shift. When they are working, they cannot do anything that will impair their judgment or interfere with the care that they give patients. California law allows for disciplinary action when a nurse commits gross negligence or repeated acts of negligence. If they make a mistake that has injured someone after taking CBD, it can cost a nurse their license or subject them to other possible penalties.
When a nurse is drug-tested, the main thing that an employer is looking for is the use of a product with THC. CBD is different from THC because there are no hallucinogenic properties. CBD can help nurses deal with the physical pain that comes from standing and walking on the job all day long. Even still, the use of products with THC is legal in California, and the employer may have difficulty proving when the nurse took the substance and whether they had it in their system when they were working. The same thing goes for CBD.
Be Careful About the CBD Products You Use
Still, you should be especially careful when using CBD. Many CBD products are mislabeled, and you never quite know what may be in what you are taking. You may think that you are getting one product and you are getting something completely different. Regardless of your professional status, you need to be cautious about the products that you use. There is no clinical testing data that supports its effectiveness, and the FDA has not really approved many CBD products. There is nothing that says that you cannot take CBD oil, but you should closely investigate whatever products you are buying.
You Can Defend Yourself by Hiring a Nursing License Defense Attorney
If an employer or the California Registered Nursing Board is trying to discipline you for taking CBD, they may have an uphill battle. You can certainly challenge the testing results and defend yourself from charges.
Every nurse has the right to be heard, whether they are being disciplined or fired from their job by their employer. In any California case, a nurse will get due process and the right to challenge the evidence against them. You will need to hire an experienced lawyer to deal with the California Nursing Board. You may even head off disciplinary charges or fight any charges against you.