Medicolegal Issues

Peaceful feeling, or up in smoke? Medical marijuana in medicolegal context

Current Psychiatry. 2015 September;14(9):49-52

References

1. Hill KP. Medical marijuana for treatment of chronic pain and other medical and psychiatric problems: a clinical review. JAMA. 2015;313(24):2474-2483.
2. Controlled Substances Act title 21, §801.
3. Frezza C. Medical marijuana: a drug without a medical model. Georgetown Law J. 2013;101:1117-1145.
4. Conant v Walters, 309 F3d 629, 637 (9th Cir 2002).
5. Vandrey R, Raber JC, Raber ME, et al. Cannabinoid dose and label accuracy in edible medical cannabis products. JAMA. 2015;313(24):2491-2493.
6. Thompson AE. JAMA patient page. Medical marijuana. JAMA. 2015;313(24):2508.
7. United States v Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative, 532 U.S. 483 (2001).
8. Gonzales v Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (2005).
9. Ogden DW. Memorandum for selected United States Attorneys on investigations and prosecutions in states authorizing the medical use of marijuana. http://www. justice.gov/opa/blog/memorandum-selected-united-state-attorneys-investigations-and-prosecutions-states. Published October 19, 2009. Accessed July 11, 2015.
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11. Picard A. Pot-prescribing doctors warned. The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ pot-prescribing-doctors-warned/article22506373. Published October 19, 2005. Accessed July 21, 2015.
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Courts have found physicians negligent if their patients’ treatment-induced driving impairments injured others when the risk of driving-related injury was foreseeable.³² The Massachusetts case of Coombes v Florio³³ likened the physician’s duty to that of a liquor store that sells alcohol to a minor who subsequently crashes, or to a father who did not lock his firearms away from his violent adult son.

Three variables influence a court’s judgment about whether risk is “foreseeable”: “the relative knowledge of the risk as between lay persons and physicians, whether the patient has previously used the medication and/or experienced the adverse effect, and whether a warning would otherwise have been futile.”³⁴ A physician who certified a patient to use marijuana without adequately explaining the risks of driving might be vulnerable to a lawsuit if the patient’s driving accident occurred while the patient was under the influence of the drug. Recommending marijuana as a treatment also could lead to a malpractice action if a patient experienced and was harmed by the drug’s adverse effects.

Other drags
Another malpractice risk stems from marijuana’s addiction potential. Although many people think Cannabis isn’t addictive, nearly 10% of all marijuana users develop dependence.^10,17 Regular Cannabis users are more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and “recreational” drugs,^17,35 and using alcohol and marijuana together greatly heightens the risk of driving accidents.^14,15 Although we know of no case that relates directly to marijuana, physicians have faced lawsuits for injuries stemming from a patient’s addiction to prescription drugs,36 particularly when the patient’s behavior should have led the physician to suspect abuse or overuse.³⁷

When certifying marijuana use, physicians have the same obligations that apply to more conventional medical treatment:
• establishing a proper physician–patient relationship
• taking an appropriate history
• conducting a proper examination
• reviewing records
• developing a comprehensive treatment plan
• weighing risks and alternatives
• providing follow-up care.

Neglecting these steps could lead to medical board sanctions and suspension or revocation of a medical license.¹³

The blunt reality
We advise against recommending marijuana for your patients. But if you have exhausted the alternatives, see marijuana as the last resort, and believe that taking the risk is worth the potential benefit, you can take some steps to reduce your legal risk (Table 2,^1,32,37,38 and Table 3¹³).

Bottom LinE
Medical marijuana is a controversial topic that demands more rigorous research and regulatory consideration. In the present climate, cautious physicians will avoid recommending marijuana to their patients. If you think that a patient has a medical indication, with no treatment option better than medical marijuana, be sure to understand the medical and legal ramifications before you authorize its use.

Disclosures
The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

Peaceful feeling, or up in smoke? Medical marijuana in medicolegal context

References

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