Patient & Doctor Rights

Question

I started smoking weed when I was 15 and I have always smoked it without ever getting addicted or ever having a problem with it at all. I figure it’s about as dangerous for me personally as a 2 espresso a day habit. I believe that some people can get addicted to it I just know that I am not one of those people. I did really mess up with opiates last year and now I am on Suboxone. My doctor said she wanted to drug test me for compliance and I was like cool and then she came back and said I had tested positive and I was like no way! Because I was sure she was only talking about opiates and then she told me I had tested positive for THC and that if I had another positive test she was going to discharge me as a patient, which would mean I would have to do methadone. WTF! Weed does nothing but keep me from getting stressed and relapsing. Does she really have the right to do this to me? Like I said, I am not addicted so I have stopped, but it just makes my recovery harder and more joyless.

Yerachmiel Donowitz · Accepted Answer

I can understand your frustration. It seems one thing has nothing to do with the other. Consider it like getting stopped by the police because your tail light was out. Now that he stopped you he sniffed the weed you had and you got busted. Your Dr. has the right to say he/she wants the pt. to be drug free if Suboxone is prescribed. The Dr. would be obligated to give you a referral to another Dr. who could prescribe the same. Your choice is now to protest your situation and look for another Dr. or use this as an opportunity to develop more healthy coping skills without the use of a chemical helper.

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