I'm a physician, and I hear of patients who use cannabis on occasion, but I have a mostly elderly patient population. If I treated younger patients, I'd probably hear it a lot more often. I don't encourage cannabis use for cardiology patients.

In the U.S., it's true that physicians can't violate your confidentiality by revealing your drug history to anyone such as your family members if you're past a certain age, which varies by state. But what people sometimes forget is that conditions and diagnoses are encoded and submitted with the claim to health insurance payors. If, for instance, you came in with a nasty case of pneumonia and mentioned that you were a heavy cannabis smoker, that could easily be noted on your chart and your insurance company might see that.

This wouldn't get you in trouble with the law or with anyone in your family. But sometime down the road, such information might well be the cause of your being turned down for medical or long-term care insurance.
Dave Byrd Reviewed by Dave Byrd on . Has anyone ever told their doctor they smoke weed? ... even though they don't live in a medical marijuana state? I'm thinking of telling him I smoke once a week just to get his opinion of the situation. Has anyone else ever done this. If so, what was the docs response? I understand, legally, he can't go to the police. Rating: 5