[irritable4life]

Will I loose my GA medicaid now? Will I loose my disability now? Got court for that n sept..anyone know???
Will I be regularly tested for weed now? It was at the hospital on a 10-13..but they seen it when I got to the IP place..

[Victoria'smom]

I'm sorry I have no idea.

[~Christina]

I just did a Goggle search .. here is what I found...

At least thirteen states have passed legislation regarding drug testing or screening for public assistance applicants or recipients (Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.) Some apply to all applicants; others include specific language that there is a reason to believe the person is engaging in illegal drug activity or has a substance use disorder; others require a specific screening process.

From my quick skimming it appears that the law(s) are being held up in court at the moment. I am certain your Doctors will want to discuss your use and of course want you to stop using as it does de-stabilize many people with Bipolar.

You can do a goggle search, there is a lot of info available.



I found this info on the NCSL.org ....National conference of state legislatures

I don't know. People OD on drugs and go to the emergency rooms at hospitals, prisons, etc.

Would they lose medicaid? It seems like an unconstitutional law and against the hippocratic oath not to treat someone in need.

JMHO

[irritable4life]

Oh well..IP didn't document drug abuse so if medicaid do look into it I believe they would just test me again..I ain't gonna drive myself crazy over it..just gonna quit till courts over..been 5 days now..sucks tho..I luv MJ!!!

[Yoda]

I believe that HIPAA prevents them from sharing that information with authorities who provide your benefits.

I not only tested positive for THC I sneaked some weed in with me three times when I was inpatient. Sooooo easy to do. They caught me the first time and they weren't real happy with me but nothing much happened except I had to meet with the addictions group.

[Crazy Hitch]

(((irritable))) ughhhh sorry to hear this happened Damn I feel for you.

Unfortunately I really have no knowledge around the questions that you asked, and I wouldn't want to give you responses that are incorrect.

So the best that I can do is say that I am sorry that you have to go through this. September is a long way away. My wish for you is that you are able to feel some sense of comfort during this time; through some kind of clarity of where you might stand on this so that you are aware of any possible repercussions / consequences. And hopefully some members here can come forth and share some insight.

We're all here for you as a team

[CopperStar]

You should be alright. It is extremely common for people with BP to try to self-medicate. If any professional is ever shocked to find out that someone with bipolar disorder has been smoking weed, then they probably need to turn in their degree lmao.

However I do think it's important to trade it in when you start proper medication. For me self-medicating has been necessary over the years to try to remain stable without health insurance. But the way it works such as the case with weed, is that it provides temporary, instant relief.. but over time it comes back to bite you in the butt with increased systems.

Take it from me, please, I smoked every day for about 3 years straight and then suddenly I could not smoke anymore without having a massive panic attack, my anxiety and paranoia was through the roof. It started triggering psychotic symptoms really bad. I had to completely give it up and then I felt totally lost and started drinking a lot to try to replace it. Seriously sucked.

But professionals who know what the hell they are doing when it comes to BP understand how this works, how and why we are often so tempted to self-medicate. It is extremely common.

It is SO common that if being found to have weed in your system at the hospital barred people from receiving help, then over half of people with bipolar disorder receiving help would have been cut off by now and there likely would have been a huuuuuge deal about it in the news.

But again, once you are able to start trying proper medication, I think it's important to trade it in, meaning you quit self-medicating in exchange for some actual medication.