Marijuana in medical record with Deferral - Is this an issue?

M

Mark P

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Fellow POA,

This has been bothering me and I'm not sure what to think of it. Maybe someone here can shed some light on it, maybe not..but anything can be helpful.

So I'm going through a deferral for an SSRI. Part of this includes all medical records. This is for a 3rd class btw, and pretty much I'm not worried about anything. However, I had smoked marijuana on and off for about a year about 9 years ago. My father was terminally ill and during his sickness and after his death, I would smoke here or there to help me sleep at times. I told this to my therapist, which is now in my medical record. However, it's not in my records with my prescribing doctor, nor is it related to my current treatment. This happened 9 years ago and I haven't used any of it since. Will this cause my situation to become worse? Can this lead to the FAA thinking I have a dependency issue? Since the therapist is not my "prescribing" doctor, does it even matter? My letter requests all treatment records "pertinent to treatment" with my SSRI.

Also, I have never been in any law issues or problems of dependency with any drug. I know some of you feel strongly about these things, but for younger generations, it's not uncommon to have tried marijuana at some point. I personally don't know one person who hasn't "Bill Clinton'ed" with mary jane. I just don't know how much of a mess this will cause.
 
Paging @lbfjrmd and @bbchien. They can tell you. Lesson learned: anything you tell your therapist becomes set in stone for life and you might as well assume visible to the world.

Mark P said:
, but for younger generations, it's not uncommon to have tried marijuana at some point.
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Thanks for making my day. No, I never saw anybody smoking pot at rock concerts during the 70s, nope, never. We’d never heard of the stuff. :)

To be serious, they were smoking it back in my grandfather’s day (WWI generation). It was even legal back then.

I wish you luck and hope your certification goes well. The two docs here can clarify what to expect.
 
If your HIMS-Psychiatrist finds hidden items ( and they are good at this as he/she will likely ask ), it could cloud issues. Come clean!
 
Ruhro, Rorge.......
If the therapist is even mentioned...FAA and the HIMS psych will find it. If you don’t come clean.....you get a poor evaluation.....
 
If you haven’t used in years, lost a job over a substance abuse issue, failed a drug test or charged for driving impaired, or admitted to a health professional you ever smoked pot, don’t check the damn box. It’s not a background investigation.
 
If asked you must answer truthfully, by checking a block or verbally or in writing.
 
tawood said:
Same here...or anything involving tobacco either...although it seems so many have.
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I tried chewing tobacco a couple times when I was in my early teens, made me sick. Never even tried a cigarette or cigar. The smell of tobacco smoke always just grossed me out still does.
 
A good reason why you should never be honest with a therapist. If you need to vent go talk to your lawyer. At least that info exchange is protected.
 
lbfjrmd said:
If asked you must answer truthfully, by checking a block or verbally or in writing.
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As long as you checked the unconscious box if you blacked out after a bender in college, the allergy box after you got rash from poison ivy, and the depression box after lost a job, I am good with it.
 
Clip4 said:
As long as you checked the unconscious box if you blacked out after a bender in college, the allergy box after you got rash from poison ivy, and the depression box after lost a job, I am good with it.
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The ethics of my profession don't allow me to agree with you.
 
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