Hi Shanti
First, Tom Hale's Medications and Mothers' Milk should be your first port of call for developing a policy around breastfeeding for mothers who are using any kind of drug (OTC, illicit or prescription). I also wonder if the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine has an existing policy that could be adopted at your hospital.
That said, please ensure that those who develop any policy on this issue consider whether\
a) it is better for a baby to receive her mother's milk (do the benefits outweigh the risks as is the case with mothers who smoke?) even if it exposes her to the substance her mother is using and
b) the mother who returns a positive screen would be capable of preparing an infant formula feed safely while under the influence of whatever she tested positive for.  (Making up formula is really difficult to do - research tells us that even mothers with postgraduate educations find it very difficult.) It must be asked whether the risks associated with having a mother prepare an artificial feed whilst intoxicated outweigh the risks associated with whatever exposure you're discussing.
Regards
Nina Berry PhD
Australia

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