‘Below Deck Med’: Malia White Explains That Crew Must Register Prescription Medications With the Captain
Malia White from Below Deck Mediterranean found herself playing defense after she comforted Hannah Ferrier during her panic attack. Later Captain Sandy Yawn is seen confronting a crew member for having drugs on board the yacht.
Production has featured Ferrier taking a mysterious pill the past several episodes. Ferrier insisted she was taking an Advil for “swollen feet” but during a recent episode revealed she needed a valium during a panic attack. White, who bunked with Ferrier stayed up with the chief stew to help her through her anxiety.
Yawn is shocked by a photo sent to her on her phone at the end of the episode. She tells a crew member that it’s been brought to her attention that the crew member has drugs on board the yacht.
The captain must know about the prescription medication
White was targeted on social media. She was accused of possibly throwing Ferrier under the bus. But White pushed back on that assertion an explained her position and maritime law in an Instagram post.
“Let me clear the air- medical laws are different at sea and for good reason. NO crew member is allowed to self- administer drugs prescription or not while on a vessel at sea,” she shared.
“We are CREW and always ‘on duty’ and our primary goal at sea is to ensure safety of all passengers. Mental health issues are a big deal and that’s why we have proper procedures in place. We all read & sign a drugs & alcohol policy before joining any boat- this is VERY CLEARLY laid out.”
“If any crew member suffers from a mental health condition that they require medication for they must disclose that to the Captain BEFORE signing onto the boat,” she added. “They then under the supervision of Captain or Officer can be given medication as needed and evaluated to see if they can still stand duty.”
Medication poses a safety and legal concern
“While at sea the Captain is the medical person in charge- any and all medical decisions MUST go through them,” she continued. “Taking any sedative while on duty is completely illegal and could cost myself, the officers and Captain Sandy all of our licensing.”
“Not to mention possible jail time and fines if an incident occurred & a crew member was found to have been on something without authorization,” she wrote. “Reporting any incident especially one we witness is all of our job. Yachting is my career- I’m not here to worry about plot twists & TV drama- I’m here to do my job and learn how to become a Captain. Maritime laws are in place for a reason.”
White added, “All of you expressing your hate- think of it in this perspective… if an emergency was to take place in the middle of the night how would you feel if your crew (the people trained to handle the situation & keep you safe) were on drugs? There are terribly sad stories of crew losing their lives or accidents happening due to unsupervised drug use. The severity of it is why it has become Maritime Law. It’s there to protect both crew & passengers. Reporting someone shouldn’t have a negative stigma – it can safe lives! ⚓️.”
“Side note – I do apologize for calling Hannah’s panic attack a ‘freak out’ that was unprofessional and poor wording. I am a huge advocate for Mental Health which is why I just want things done by the book.”
