Use medicinal marijuana? Forget about life-saving transplants then
April 27, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
What wrong with this picture? A man is ill, he suffers from abdominal pain, loss of appetite and nausea due to hepatitis. His doctor, legally prescribes the man medicinal marijuana, which he uses to help feel better. Now, the story moves on to the man desperately needing a liver transplant.
Rather than being put on the list, the University of Washington Medical Center refuses. Why? Get this: because he is using pot, legally prescribed, medicinal pot. He turned to the university after he was first refused by the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Apparently, the Harborview Medical Center will review his request if he abstains from using legally prescribed, medicinal pot for 6 months. The University Medical Center will reconsider if he participates in a 60-day drug rehabilitation program.
It’s understandable why doctors don’t want patients to smoke pot after a transplant. Because of the medications you have to take after having a transplant, you are particularly susceptible to developing infections. However, smoking it before the transplant for medicinal reasons – the reasons why you need the transplant to begin with – doesn’t mean you’ll be smoking after. In fact, if the transplant works, there would be no need for the marijuana any more.
You can read more about the story here in this Washington Post article: Medical marijuana patients face transplant hurdles.
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Technorati Tags: medicinal marijuana,marijuana,medicinal pot,legally prescribed marijuana,legalally prescribed medicinal marijuana,life-saving transplants,University of Washington Medical Center,Harborview Medical Center,smoke pot
Marijke,
Many will find my POV on this opposite theirs. Timothy was in a public world as a musician back in the day. I’m certain he heard the same warnings we all did about sharing needles, smoking PCP laden dope, etc. And we ignored the warnings. Now we pay the consequences.
He’s confused – and it is my opinion that he shouldn’t be confused. What is happening to him now is a direct result of self-centeredness. We weren’t ignorant of what could happen, we just thought we wore “Superman’s Cape.” We were wrong.
It is understandable that his loved ones are confused. They probably weren’t there with him when he shared needles with speed freaks. They only see him wasting away.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not happy he’s suffering, I live my share of suffering from my past actions and it sux. If there were a way for him to get help and be removed from the bureaucratic BS I’d be all for it. But I won’t help him cry in his soup.
I don’t disagree with you Mark with this particular case – but what of others who use medicinal marijuana and it becomes an issue for them?
Obviously, this isn’t the only time it’s been brought up if they’ve been discussing it and that’s what concerns me.
You’re right on point with others who haven’t brought their troubles on themselves…
I can’t begin to personally work up an answer because you’re then dealing with bureaucracy and my experience is the same – that’s almost hopeless, sadly. The whole world is lost in PC.
Might be that there is nothing more than a spiritual answer…