How Are Patients Who Legally Use Medical Marijuana Treated When Hospitalized?

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Pharmacology
• Nursing

Background:

• Federal prohibition of marijuana conflicts with state-level legalization for medical and recreational use.
• This policy conflict creates challenges for healthcare providers managing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how hospitals manage inpatient medical marijuana use in states where it is legal.
• To understand nurse leaders' experiences with these policies and practices.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous, online, cross-sectional survey distributed to nurse leaders in acute care inpatient settings.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey responses from states with legalized medical marijuana.

Main Results:

• Only a small fraction of surveyed nurse leaders reported inpatients having access to medical marijuana (e.g., 5.8% via pharmacy, 3.4% self-administered).
• Over half (55.6%) of respondents indicated patients were switched to alternative medications, frequently opioids (49.4%).
• Most nurse leaders believed medical marijuana was safer than substituted opioids, a significant concern amid rising opioid overdose deaths.

Conclusions:

• Current hospital practices often restrict inpatient medical marijuana access, potentially leading to increased opioid use.
• There is a critical need to align hospital policies with state medical marijuana laws to ensure patient safety and optimal pain management.