On July 19, 2016 a panel of the Inquiry Committee approved a Consent Agreement between CRNBC and Pippin O'Neill of Vancouver, British Columbia.
From October 2014 to June 2015, the Registrant worked a reported 42 hours at a marijuana dispensary conducting consultations to confirm chronic pain symptoms. If chronic pain symptoms were confirmed, clients would be issued a "medical card" by the dispensary enabling them to purchase various marijuana products. Although the dispensary placed a sign advertising a physician on site, no physician was involved in the consultation process. The assessments documented by the Registrant fell below acceptable standards. The Registrant is a registered nurse in British Columbia. She predominantly practices as a nurse practitioner in Saskatchewan and referred to herself at the dispensary as a nurse practitioner (NP), providing clients with her Saskatchewan NP business card. Although physicians can prescribe marijuana from a licensed producer, registered nurses and nurse practitioners are not permitted to do so in British Columbia. The Registrant was unaware whether the marijuana products sold at the dispensary were obtained from a licensed producer. The Registrant ceased working at the dispensary in June 2015 upon CRNBC's request.
The Registrant voluntarily agreed to terms including: a one month suspension of registration, education on ethics and assessment skills, and a CRNBC Regulatory Practise Consultation program. The Inquiry Committee is satisfied these terms will protect the public