Medical Cannabis Patient Not Allowed to Volunteer with Hospice Patients

Amy Hauser, a medical cannabis patient from Richmond, California who is studying to be a nurse, was recently told that she could no longer volunteer at local hospice care facility if she tests positive for cannabis.

Hauser is known for volunteering at different medical facilities, often playing her ukulele for residents to cheer them up, or simply listening to them talk. “I really do enjoy spending time with people at the end of life,” said cannabis patient and aspiring caregiver Amy Hauser, according to The Californian. “I have a calling for it.”

But recently, Kaiser Permanente officials confronted Hauser and told her she can’t volunteer if she tests positive for cannabis, even though she obtains it as a legal medical patient with a prescription from a doctor. Originally, Hauser told Kaiser Permanente officials about her consumption of cannabis, and was assured that it would not be an issue. They apparently changed their stance recently, perhaps due to federal crackdown threats from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “As a healthcare organization we always abide by all applicable laws and regulations to ensure the safe provision of care for our members and patients,” Kaiser spokeswoman Mayra Suárez told The Cannabist.

Like many patients, Hauser understands that her medical cannabis consumption does not interfere with her work. “Just like I would never show up to work drunk, I would never show up to work high,” she said. “The idea that because I smoke it at night I would somehow be irresponsible during the day, it’s completely illogical.”

Hauser has found that cannabis helps treat her medical conditions, which include insomnia, anxiety and PTSD from a previous relationship that involved domestic abuse. She has since been forced to discontinue her medical cannabis consumption in order to continue helping hospice patients, but at a cost. “I’m not going to get the sleep I need. My anxiety is going to be significantly worse, and I’m not going to be as present for my family,” Hauser added.

While this is unfortunate, it’s not surprising, given the fact that medical cannabis consumers have been told that they can’t own guns, and even that they need to pay for drug rehabilitation programs. This calls even more attention to the need for federal medical protections, as well as the rescheduling cannabis on a national scale. While there have certainly been setbacks lately, medical use and legalization are still spreading, and patients are hopeful for more rights in the future.