Social Security Disability and Cannabis Use?

[Hydro-Soil]

Heyas,

Looking for information on how the colorado medical end handles social security disability filings and the mention of the use of cannabis?

Seems to be a big question around here, lots of people disabled through injury using cannabis. Should they mention it for pain?

Anyone else have any other questions we should put up threads on?

Thanks and...

Stay Safe!

 

[Easy7]

I have heard of people not able to get SSD without being able to pass a drug test for mj first. I doubt they would take it away for smoking it once you hve it but remember......it is the feds we are talking about.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Colorado?

 

[Easy7]

Anywhere, social security is federal.........so that means all 50 states.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

No, my question is whether you heard about that happening in Colorado.

It doesn't sound like you're familiar with the system at all. It may be federal but most of it happens on the state level through state employees or doctors of the state... it's not 'fed' like you think.

Stay Safe!

 

[Easy7]

Social security is a federal agency............it's a fact........perhaps your thinking about workers comp?

from wiki

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) [2] is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits.


I wouldn't mention anything that is federally illegal, sorry but I know the system very well

 

[boho]

I'd imagine the only fear you should have is if your doing it for "fun". If you are disabled and it's clear you need it, you have doctors that back you, and in a legal state with a legal status there is no need for paranoia.
Regardless of what the media wants you to believe our Government is not heartless but made up of group interests controlled by humans. In part compassion but part greed. In general it will cost more to prosecute and house in prison a disabled drug offender then paying out disability alone.
So if you need it, Why worry?

 

[Easy7]

Why mention it? There are no perks to mentioning cannabis use to the feds.....then again if millions of people told the feds they use cannabis as medicine, perhaps they would modernize the laws.ti

an interesting article on the subject:

http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/mic1.html

 

[Hydro-Soil]

That's great and all, I'm looking for specific information on Colorado, preferably from people who are familiar with Colorado and the Colorado system.

Yes, it's fed. No... you don't understand the process and no, I'm not talking about worker's comp.

Anyone with experience in this field? Would love to be able to give folks the right info to be looking up with their attorney.

Stay Safe!

 

[Easy7]

I don't think your understand, it has nothing to do with the state. Even when you go to a doctor for a review that doctor is then employed by the federal govt. I have been on SSD for about 12 years and know everything. Like I said I know someone denied cause they couldn't pass a drug test for mj.........like it or not I am telling you there is not one damn point in mentioning that you use a federally illegal item........not one point

 

[boho]

Regardless of what a scared person may say, if you apply it's in your medical records. It was all over in mine, and many other's whom I work with. I wouldn't make a point to mention it but it's there if they wanted to know, which they request all your records when you do SSDI. Considering they like to make examples it's best not to mention it but don't be fooled if you every got the card it's all over your records which is looked at during SSDI process.

 

[Easy7]

In one of my files in litterely said a Smörgåsbord of drug use! Your probably better off using to many drugs than medical mj, in the eyes of the feds...when it comes to disability......strange but they think you got a problem and not a source of your medical issue then your golden.......barely getting by but golden!

 

[monsoon]

Are you speaking specifically to the MMJ program and any relation to it with SS/other Gov't agencies?, hydro?

Easy7 is correct. Overall and in 99.9% of situations, it isn't advisable to mention to any doc connected to the Federal level that you are a MMJ patient. While the docs are licensed by the State, they hand out Federally sanctioned narcotics and that's where it will start to get sticky for some people. My pain doctor cut me off from my narcs when he found out I was a MJJ patient because he feared reprocussion from the dEA should they put 2 + 2 together.

IMO, your friends should seek a seperate doctor for their MMJ license than their regular physician. The paperwork and info for Co patients is protected by law and only accessible by LEO to verify you are on the Registry. If these folks can secure a seperate doc for their MMJ needs and then NEVER tell their regular doc they are a patient they can keep this info out of the personal medical records. I fucked up and thought my doc gave a shit about me, learning only after the info was disclosed that he just wanted to hold the puppet strings by himself and couldn't handle the fact that I was weaning from Oxy by smoking hash.

Mixing such personal/semsitive info with SS benefit info or other Fed info should be avoided at all costs. The ONLY way the fed should find out is after they drag you kicking and screaming to the bathroom for a forced piss test.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

IMO, your friends should seek a seperate doctor for their MMJ license than their regular physician. The paperwork and info for Co patients is protected by law and only accessible by LEO to verify you are on the Registry. If these folks can secure a seperate doc for their MMJ needs and then NEVER tell their regular doc they are a patient they can keep this info out of the personal medical records. I fucked up and thought my doc gave a shit about me, learning only after the info was disclosed that he just wanted to hold the puppet strings by himself and couldn't handle the fact that I was weaning from Oxy by smoking hash.

Mixing such personal/semsitive info with SS benefit info or other Fed info should be avoided at all costs. The ONLY way the fed should find out is after they drag you kicking and screaming to the bathroom for a forced piss test.

I can relate...

Makes sense. Thanks

So, best advice is to look into not saying anything unless they know if the doctor doing the evaluation is known to be educated in the facts about cannabis or not. (Reading that sentence makes me tired. wow what a runon)



Stay Safe!

 

[rives]

My experience is with California, but I suspect that it is transferable. My doctor has been forced into drug testing by the DEA to insure that the opiates that he prescribes are in your system. The feds are concerned about "re-directing" those drugs to the street, and want to insure that the person that they are prescribed for is actually taking the drugs prescribed to them, hence the testing. I was told that if I tested positive for MJ during one of those tests, I would be dropped out of the pain program and it could impact my SSDI eligibility unless I had a rec. Supposedly the DEA recognizes MMJ recommendations to this extent.

 

[monsoon]

Send them to a MMJ review/evaluation doctor and they will find someone who is far more knowledgable than a regular doc about cannabis. Most centers can help make the connection to a doctor who specializes in the feild. As I say, your regular doc doesn't need to know you use MMJ and it is advisable to keep the info private. MOST docs don't believe in smoked meds and many will not write the rec anyway...and again...if your reg doc signs it /you speak of it it WILL be all over your medical records. (it is mine..for better or worse)

EDIT: Saw rives post. When my doc railed against my weed use he told me I'd have to pass a drug test for him to continue writing Oxy's for me. Fortunately for me, my head was already telling my body "you are KILLING ME" and I was on the way off the train as it was, but the forced withdrawal was scary as fuck and very draining. I wantrd to kill that bastard, and if I could have raised my head from the toilet long enough, i would have.

After it was over I wanted to Thank him for being a catalyst to freedom.

good luck out there.

 

[Tudo]

Monsoon for those of us who would die from pain without some type of opioid, would you also say that some mj docs can also refer the true chronic pain patient ( degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis hips and lumbar, have been in pain mgt then back to primary care doc now for 2 years ) ?

This is a souce of anxiety about moving west. Sure we can then legally obtain cannabis but how difficult will it be for me to find a primary care doc who will continue doing what my primary care doc does now in writing various prescriptions for thyroid and the usual stuff but also a prescription for percocet every 3 months?

We're focusing on the temecula fallbrook area because of costs ( less than 500k not including whatever renovations we need to do or choose to do. Net, done, no mortgage, retiresville at least from a housing perspective ).

Could get a lot more for less than half that in SW Fla and get a lot more in terms of the type of weather/scenery I would prefer. If they evolve in Fla, just enough to stand upright and decriminalize an oz of cannabis. If I thought they were going to do that in the next couple of years I'd take a shot and stay. Otherwise I think it's sayonara after 30 years but what if the opposite problem occurs in california? Where suddenly I'm "tested".

Oye, what decisions to have to make at this age. So how difficult will it be to do?

Oops, sorry, I'm way off course for the topic here. My apologies.

 

[monsoon]

I know of no MMJ docs who would refer you to a doc who writes scripts for narcs, or any MMJ doc who writes scripts for narcs themselves, Tudo.

Keep in mind, a MMJ review doctor only reviews your medical records to determine if you qualify/can benefit from MMJ. They would probably be the LAST doctor you'd want a reference from to take back to your regular/pain doc, who more than likely, does NOT believe in MMJ at all as a medicine and as a result, would refuse to write you a narcotic script if they know you are a MMJ patient or user. Again...KEEP THESE DOCS SEPARATE. If they AREN'T a MMJ doc....Don't ask, don't tell, don't offer any info about MJ whatsoever.

And FYI.....the FEDS are moving towards testing everyone prescribed pain meds en masse'....as mentioned...to see if yer selling the narcs or really eating them as prescribed, or of you are an illegal drug user. (aka marijuana) The more legality the weed issue gets...the more conflict we will see with MJ and opiates and patient care.

FYI....I've been clean from the narcs for 6 years after about 10 years of slowly falling into the addictive trap through occasional scripts, then to pain management/daily use, where I became a full blown addict for about 5 years. Vicodin/Lortab/Lorcet/percodan/percocet/Oxy IR/ Did em all, and in ever-increasing doses.

Bottom line...I'm sure you can figure out a path to get what you want if that continues to be your goal.

I personally feel 100% better now and have FAR less "pain" than I thought I did when I was an addict. The pain is still there but I can truly deal with it now rather than coppin and running to the pill bottle. I'm 99.9% sure that the pills CAUSE much of the pain we think we have, 'cus the pills are in control, not us, when we are on them/addicted to them.

Good luck in whatever you do Tudo!.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Great info folks, thank you.

Keep your docs separate, don't mention it to the feds on your paperwork.
What about when they bring it up? Folks should answer honestly or what? lol

I'm working with patients around here to teach them how to use cannabis. I'm absolutely amazed how many people are physically destroyed... still trying to work and support a family. It's just terrible. *sigh*

Thank you again.

Stay Safe!

p.s. Just had a spine patient try canna-caps for the first time. Awesome! Next batch they get to learn how to do it themselves.

 

[monsoon]

If they ask you if you take illegal drugs, "Just Say No" like King Ron and Queen Nancy taught all good children to do in the 80's...

It really depends on WHAT THEY ASK YOU. I would LIE like a motherfucker either way.
DON'T give up any info.

If you are FORCED to pee.....there isn't much you can do about it in many instances other than flat out refuse and lose whatever services they are providing you.

SUCKS folks have to deal with this. The Gov't needs to get their fuckin shit together soon.