So you refuse to CONSENT to a drug test, they can refuse to treat you? And your fetus.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie
Before I found out I was expecting this baby I now carry, my husband and I had discussed having another. After finding out about the mandatory drug testing of pregnant women in my state (and researching it, finding some very sad stories), we decided that my use of medical cannabis was something I couldn't discontinue, and that we'd have no more children.

Low and behold, things didn't go as planned but that's ok. I stopped my medical treatment as soon as finding out. I'm managing fairly well.

a reply to: chelsdh

Congrats! And it sucks you have to suffer needlessly. I'm in the same boat. I'm on disability for PTSD/Anxiety, those pharmaceutical meds DEFINITELY cause birth defects. Cannabis would be able to treat me with little/no harm to the fetus and I wouldn't be suffering so badly. But.... it's illegal, so if I used it to ease my (sometimes unbearable) symptoms, and the doctor drug tests I would get turned over to CPS. Who would possibly take away this baby and my other children.

All for something that's most likely safe. Or at least, not any less safe than anything else you do while pregnant.

Jamaica Study

originally posted by: ladyvalkyrie
a reply to: chelsdh

Congrats! And it sucks you have to suffer needlessly. I'm in the same boat. I'm on disability for PTSD/Anxiety, those pharmaceutical meds DEFINITELY cause birth defects. Cannabis would be able to treat me with little/no harm to the fetus and I wouldn't be suffering so badly. But.... it's illegal, so if I used it to ease my (sometimes unbearable) symptoms, and the doctor drug tests I would get turned over to CPS. Who would possibly take away this baby and my other children.

All for something that's most likely safe. Or at least, not any less safe than anything else you do while pregnant.

Jamaica Study

Moderation...

The wife did during her pregnancy. Just lightly though.

On the morning of delivery...It saved the day.

a reply to: dawnstar

Healthcare was the last bastion of privacy, and it's being chipped away right under our noses. They are recruiting doctors to be an extension of law enforcement and justifying it with altruism. "It's ok to trample on a pregnant woman's rights, for the sake of the baby." "It's ok to test everyone for depression and put them in a database. We don't want mentally ill people owning guns."

The people who aren't harming anyone get screwed, and the real criminals keep doing what they're doing. Drug addicted babies INCREASE under these policies and I guarantee shootings will continue to increase as well. Humans are rebellious by nature. The more you push down on them with restrictions, the more they push back. It costs more money and takes more effort to put pro-active preventative care into place and it would be much more effective. HELP pregnant women. HELP the mentally ill. Instead of stigmatizing them and criminalizing them.

But, like many great ideas I've seen on this site: it makes too much sense and will never happen.

a reply to: whyamIhere

It's illegal because they claim it has no medicinal benefit. No one can study medicinal benefit because it's illegal.

Biggest. Scam. Ever.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

the thing is though, it's always been that the one who provides, is the one who gets to rule though. they feel that if they are the ones who are paying your medical bills, they should have the right to make sure you do what you should and don't do want they feel is bad...since well if you don't they will end up paying more. i don't buy for a second that all these people really care that much about your baby, but they feel that that baby will cost them more money if you don't take care of yourself. and, in case you think that I am saying this to you because you as disabled and possibly on gov't assistance, I ain't. In their minds, it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter if you are the poorest of the poor, or the middle class, or the more wealthy, you should be controlled, because well, if you are not, you will drain money out of their pockets.

and yet, they insist that the policies that make the richer so much richer while driving more and more people down into the ranks of the needy is the only way to go. they don't see what part they are playing in removing freedom from their way of life.

a reply to: dawnstar
The companies that make the drug tests convince the docs to do it more often...to make themselves money.
Sales Rep

As of now, I just drug test patients who are suspected of drug abuse. The rep suggests that I should drug test everyone because its the patients that I will least suspect that may be doing drugs and it gives me the opportunity to councel them.

The docs report the results out of fear of lawsuits/loss of licensing/or even criminal charges...which would lose/cost them money.
Punishement for Doctors

CPS has to justify their own existence...to keep getting money from the state.
CPS Funding and Poor Results of Foster Care

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Meanwhile, drug addicts are foregoing prenatal care altogether, babies born addicted or with defects are INCREASING and costing healthcare a conservative $1.5 billion annually.
Dru g Abuse Stats

Meanwhile, we're spending $10.3 billion per year on drug offense prisoners.
Incarceration Stats

Spending on treatment? $13 million
Treatment
Spending on law enforcement? Over $9.4 billion
Spending on LE

Just wanted to pop in and report that my state will allow its "Fetal Assault Law" to expire on July 1st. They decided that threatening to arrest women who are pregnant and have drug problems was really a stupid move, because these women could rarely find the help they need, and so the just didn't seek the proper medical care during gestation.

www.npr.org...

I don't really know what effect this will have on drug testing expectant mothers, though I think that'll keep on happening.

originally posted by: whyamIhere

Moderation...

The wife did during her pregnancy. Just lightly though.

On the morning of delivery...It saved the day.

Moderation isn't an option when they test you throughout and at delivery, then call CPS if you get a positive. I have no doubt that cannabis would aid a woman during labor- but it isn't worth it to have to deal with CPS.

Because the assault law expires on July 1st, I suppose I would not have to worry about being arrested (which shouldn't happen anyway- since it isn't a "hard" drug), but I'd still get a visit from CPS, and have to deal with them. For me, its not worth it. Not that I used cannabis for recreational use- but I will just deal with my medical problems in the best way I can (which includes narcotics prescribed by my dr, because that is SO much better for the baby!).

a reply to: chelsdh

You can get a MMJ card online now.

If you had one it goes miles to cover you...

No matter what State you live in.

a reply to: whyamIhere

I've been looking into this since you posted- having no luck. Everything I find is only good for the state issued from. Plus, I don't really think CPS in TN gives a hoot that I may have used cannabis in a legal state. All they care about is what my drug screen says.

a reply to: chelsdh

You're totally right. Even the states where MJ is legal CPS will still go after mothers who test positive.

You could use it for your medical problems, then stop the week before your OB appt and drink plenty of fluids. Definitely don't do it the last month because you could go into labor at any time and they'll test you when you go to the hospital.

IF you have a set OBGYN and are attending regular prenatal appointments you're far less likely to be tested. When you go to the hospital in labor and you have an attending physician they may not even test you at all. But next week I go for my first visit with a THIRD OB and they may test me because I'm a new patient. (the test will be clean BTW) You all know what happened with the first doctor (this thread), I went to a second doctor. They did blood and urine but I actually don't think a drug test was included in that. But the doc was a major D-bag. I requested to see one of the other 2 docs in the practice and they said I couldn't do that. So here I am at 6 months pregnant having to drive an hour away for a NEW doctor for the first time. Hopefully she's good. But I'm expecting a drug test cuz I guess that's just what they do.

Back to CPS, if someone were to test positive for MJ and nothing else, I would hope CPS would go easy on them. They'd still have to deal with the stress of the investigation. But like you said, it's not a HARD drug. And if they were going to try to prove fetal assault they'd have to prove that damage was done, which we all know is 'high'ly (LOL) unlikely.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

You know, I'd consider a detox of sorts, but sometimes they do a test on the baby's first stool, which will show anything from approximately 12-15 weeks gestation. And because I do intend on resuming treatment once baby is born, I can't have CPS popping in a testing me at random for how ever long it may take to get them off my back.

You are right, they should treat cannabis differently, but too many people are still stuck in the mindset created by reefer madness, so it's the same to them

I'll be sending you a pm later, can't at the moment. Just watch your inbox

a reply to: chelsdh

From what I can tell from the wonderful world of Google research, OBGYNs will test new patients and soon before the due date (about a month?). Hospitals test if they suspect something is wrong (drug addicted baby, duh) or if you don't have an admitting physician.

I paid $4000 out of pocket for a midwife when I was pregnant with my son. When I couldn't birth him on my own I ended up in the ER. They treated me like a criminal. Drug test (maybe even without my consent, I don't even know what all I signed, it's hard to read paperwork when you're having contractions once a minute). They were surprised that the baby was 110% healthy. But as long as you have an admitting physician with ties to that hospital they treat you like a first class citizen.