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Published on 10/6/08
Video
I grew up and went to college among a religious crowd that didn’t have access to pot. In my third year of med school, my friend bought a huge amount of it, and we started smoking every day. Here’s the thing: Lots of days you just go home and watch TV, right? So why not do it high? When you smoke, you see everything anew, like a child. That’s my favorite part about it.
I’m an internist at a hospital in New York. I get high every day, but always after work. It helps me relax. Most of the day, even if you’re not outwardly stressed, your inner stress is very high—you constantly have between 15 and 20 people under your watch who are sick enough to die at the hospital. When you get home, you really need to shut your brain off.
A doctor friend of mine gets high on his rotations, but I never do, because while I can function for the most part, I tend to forget a lot of things and act like a jackass. I have to take calls from patients at home after work all the time, but that’s not really a problem. The thing about weed is that you can sober up for a few moments at a time. You can focus on one thing for, like, 45 seconds, but then you get distracted by the TV or by how pretty your candles are or something.
Of the eight internists at my hospital, I know of two others who smoke regularly—one more than I do, the other about as much. And of the other five, I think three smoke occasionally. I’m not open with my patients about it. I think I’d be judged. I don’t think people want to hear that their doctor gets high every day. We keep it a secret from our boss, but we have a suspicion that our boss’s boss, the chief of medicine, also smokes. There’s this thing I use instead of a roach clip—it’s a plierlike tool from an operating room—and we saw it on his desk. When a coworker made a joke about it being for smoking, he turned bright red.
A lot of doctors smoke. I think it’s more common than people realize, particularly among young doctors. It doesn’t affect my ability to think, but I do find myself searching for words a lot more than I previously had to, and my memory is kind of hazy. I never forget patient information, though. And anyway, a lot of doctors say they feel like they’ve forgotten a lot of things since they went to med school, almost as if their medical knowledge displaced all the other stuff.
I’m somewhat bad about hiding it. I smoke in public a lot. I once got Tracy Morgan kicked out of the AVA Lounge because I blew smoke in his direction, hoping he would come over. Instead, the bouncers thought it was him smoking and kicked him out. It sucked, but it was hilarious, too. I also travel with weed—I put it in my cigarette box. I feel like I’m very lucky, I never seem to get caught. Everyone I know thinks I’m an idiot for being so careless.
I’m a big proponent of weed, even outside of the fact that I smoke it. I think it’s insane that it’s illegal. I sorta wanna get in trouble, in order to fight this fight—I’d use it as a jumping-off point. Yes, I’m a little stoned right now.
As told to Michael Freidson, Allison Hope, Kate Lowenstein and Lauren Shopp
Mo
Tue, Sep 02, at 06:51pm
How old are you????
Dan
Mon, Sep 01, at 12:54pm
Hey Dude,
pot's fine and all, but be careful with the patients and your career. You've gone a long way to construct a good life with real responsibility for real people--don't abuse that or risk what you've earned. And try meditation. It works to let the mind into thought-free spaces more relaxing and refreshing than drugs, and yields only positive side-effects on memory and cognitive functioning, and it gives you the tools to learn to REALLY loosen that persistent anxiety/worry. Try it.
Steve
Sat, Mar 08, at 11:57am
I especially enjoyed your last paragraph, in which you have the delusion that if you get caught you can then crusade for the legalization of pot. I hope you do get caught, so you will lose your license (and I no longer have to be associated with such a douchebag as you) and you can finally pursue you rightful calling of shoveling monkey shit.
Steve
Sat, Mar 08, at 11:51am
The problem I have with your "feature" is ... what is your point or purpose for writing this??? I am a doctor as well, and used to smoke weed. I also used to do a whole lot of other drugs. So f'ing what? Does that make you special? Nobody cares that you think you're so awesome that you can smoke and still do your job. Doctors already are rapidly losing respect of the public, and compensation for doctors is following suit.
Steve
Sat, Mar 08, at 11:48am
You are a total idiot. It amazes me that you were somehow able to pass your boards. Judging by your "feature" you aren't smart enough to clean the monkey cage at the zoo.
Steve
Sat, Mar 08, at 10:54am
This little "confession" of yours will do nothing but reinforce the general public's ever-increasing mistrust and disrespect of doctors. If you were truly intelligent, you would keep this to yourself and enjoy.
Anthony
Sat, Mar 08, at 02:11am
I'm a pharmacist. And I USED TO smoke every day. Until I got a job that does random testing. That raises a question. How do you get around that?
I agree with you. Smoking after work is a big stress reliever. I actually performed better on the job when I smoked. It kept my personal stress lever at a minimum. I wouldn't bring the stress from the previous day back the next day. I still go on vacation to Amsterdam every year to "clear my head".
david
Fri, Mar 07, at 01:08pm
Hi John,
Take a look at this article. pretty funny. hope all is cool.
David
david
Fri, Mar 07, at 12:07pm
Hi John,
david
Fri, Mar 07, at 12:07pm
Hi John,
lily
Thu, Mar 06, at 10:29pm
you travel with pot as in going through airport security with it? bold. i like it
