'CANNABIS NURSE' GIVES UP HIS LICENSE

Medical Marijuana Advocate Ends Fight to Keep Practicing

A local nurse and medicinal marijuana advocate fired by Samaritan
Health Services for refusing to take a drug test has surrendered his
nursing license rather than stop using pot.

Under an agreement with the Oregon State Board of Nursing that took
effect Nov. 8, it will be three years before Ed Glick can apply to
have his license reinstated.

Illegal drug use violates the state law that governs nursing and is
grounds for disciplinary action. In interviews with nursing board
staff, Glick acknowledged that he "self-medicated with cannabis" and
agreed to relinquish his license after more than 20 years as a nurse.

"I admitted to using an illegal drug, and that violates the standards
of practice for Oregon nurses," Glick said this week.

Barbara Holtry, a spokeswoman for the Oregon State Board of Nursing,
said the law is clear on marijuana use.

"All nurses have to abide by the Nurse Practice Act," Holtry said.

Glick might have been able to keep his license by entering the nurse
monitoring program, a five-year probationary arrangement that
requires chemical dependancy treatment and regular urinalysis, but he
refused. He argues that marijuana is a beneficial substance that has
been "demonized" by the government.

"I'm not going to go into drug treatment because I admitted to using
pot," he said.

Holtry said she couldn't comment on the particular circumstances of
Glick's case but added that the monitoring program is only for nurses
actively trying to overcome a chemical dependency.

"If someone is not willing to comply with all those terms and
conditions," she said. "then obviously that is not an option for them."

Glick was terminated in April by Samaritan Health Services for
refusing to submit to a drug test after a supervisor raised questions
about gaps in patient paperwork. He fought his firing through a union
grievance process but was unable to win his job back.

Glick, 49, had worked at Samaritan for the past 15 years, most
recently in the health care network's regional mental health center
in Corvallis. He had also become an outspoken advocate for medicinal
marijuana, leading demonstrations, speaking at conferences and
handing out business cards identifying him as a "cannabis nurse."

Although Oregon is one of about a dozen states that allows the drug
to be used for medical purposes, the practice remains controversial,
and Glick claimed his advocacy work was the real reason for his dismissal.

A Samaritan official denied that charge, insisting Glick was
terminated "for good cause." Steve Jasperson, chief executive officer
of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, told the Gazette-Times
last spring that the hospital's policies clearly state it can require
a drug test if there is "reasonable suspicion" that an employee might
be impaired.

Glick continues to deny that he reported to work under the influence
of marijuana or any other drug.

"I've never been impaired or intoxicated for a moment at any nursing
job," he said. "All I am is an uppity nurse."

But he also admits that he occasionally uses marijuana to treat his
own medical conditions, which include insomnia and pain from spinal
problems, even though those problems are not severe enough to qualify
for the Oregon medical marijuana program.

In Glick's view, it makes more sense to use a plant he believes to be
safe and effective than to dose himself with synthetic sleep aids and
pain-killers.

"I do take ibuprofen now and then, but I don't like pharmaceuticals," he said.

In the end, he said, it was his refusal to lie about his pot use that
cost him his nursing license.

"I probably could have lied my way through it, either by lying my way
into the medical marijuana program or by lying about my use of the
drug," Glick said. "I didn't really give (the nursing board) much of
a choice in the matter."

Glick hasn't decided yet whether he'll apply for reinstatement of his
nursing license when the three-year waiting period is up. After
months of battling his former employer and the state over rules he
disagrees with, he's ready for a change.

For now he's going back to school, signing up for a general
agricultural program at Oregon State University.

"I don't want to spend my life where I'm not wanted. ... It's pretty
likely that I'm done with nursing," Glick said. "I'm going to work
with plants for awhile."