Comments on: Marijuana Patient Denied Transplant?

By: Edie H

Edie H — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:14:39 +0000

First of all MJ really gets a bad rap. I am a registered nurse and I have seen more people on phamaceutical drugs with often fatal and yes deadly side effects. (One too many people have seen the nonsense movie reefer madness.) I have never seen anyone die or even harmed by marijuana. And yes my husband like the guy above has END STAGE LIVER DISEASE and was denied a transplant unless he goes through 6 months of SUBSTANCE ABUSE counseling and ceases smoking MJ. My husband is 50 years old and is getting worse daily. Since he has not the energy to get out of bed much less go for MJ counseling. So he has opted to die or live as we say. My husband is the smartest man I have ever known and yes he smokes occasional MJ, and because of his belief in total honesty he is not a liver transplant candidate unless he goes through extensive SUBSTANCE ABUSE counseling (we don’t believe occasionally smoking it or medicinal use is ABUSE so therefore have opted against counseling. When you are dying every minute counts and why waist them talking to someone whom has probably been swayed by the myth that MJ is harmful. I hope that someday marijuana is legalized in the USA and I am sure if the government finds a way to control it it will be. I mean cigarettes and alcohol are legal and deadly. I believe it to be 1 of the safest substances on earth.
For all of you out there experiencing the same there is a better life after this one. An ETERNAL life promised to everyone that believes in JESUS. John 3:16

By: adolescent drug rehab

adolescent drug rehab — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:36:54 +0000

I did not know that hepatitis can spread to the new transferred liver. So it doesn’t matter on the new organ.

-jerry

By: catdaddy

catdaddy — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:46:34 +0000

i am 45 year old fil/am retired due to spinal cord injuries and spinal cord surgery sustain while serving in the u.s forces. my surgeon prescribe me heavy duty narcotic pain medication. and also medicinal marijuana. in california i prefer using marijuana, it do not give me side effect. everytime i take the prescribe medication i get worried of adding damage to my body organs such as kidney , stomach . now living in the philippine i buy marijuana from friend s and people sometimes i do not know. i am so scared about our marijuana laws. i do not know what to do. i wish marijuana will be legalize in our country. i want to enjoy the rest of my remaining life painless . but everyday i feel the pain. especially when there is no available marijuana. and if i take the presribe medication is killing me and damaging my kidney. i do not know what to do in context to my medication while living in the philippine.

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:58:00 +0000

People are so sick of the state of health care and with the prohibitionist laws in this country. I think thats why they assumed the worst even of the author of this article. Take note people…

She didn’t say he should be taken of the list because he’s smoked marijuana and is therefore an addict and deserves to be taken out and shot.(in the words of the founder of D.A.R.E.)

She said
-because of the severity of his illness
-because of the immunosuppressent nature of MJ
-because of the pathogens related to MJ toking
-because MJ is elimenated through the liver
-because of his possible not commitment to treatment he should be excluded.

Now I’m not a big fan of doctors but she seems to have the right idea about treating patients in their best intrest. IMHO

By: shady8x

shady8x — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:20:21 +0000

The DEA:
“The therapeutic ratio for prescribed drugs is commonly around 1:10 or lower.”

“By contrast, marijuana’s therapeutic ratio, like its LD-50(1:20,000 or 1:40,000), is impossible to quantify because it is so high.”

http://www.ccguide.org.uk/young88.php

Which means marijuana is on average, 2,000 times safer then a prescribed drug. And 1,000 times safer then over the counter drugs like aspirin(1:20).

Common side effects of prescribed drugs is DEATH. 32,000 per year to be exact. Marijuana has ZERO deaths for the 112,000,000 users in the USA. Over the counter drugs cause 7,600 deaths per year.
http://www.csdp.org/publicservice/causes.htm

I would agree with removing this man from the transplant list if all those talking prescribed medication were also removed and all those talking deadly drugs like aspirin…

In fact anyone drinking coffee should be banned from being given medical care because they are using a drug that is more addicting and more deadly then marijuana…

By: Wrathbone

Wrathbone — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:37:19 +0000

So because someone doesn’t “play by the rules” then they are more deserving of death than someone else?

First of all, what are “the rules” and who exactly dictates that we are under any obligation whatsoever to play by them? Marijuana is a plant that is used medically and recreationally by adults of varying ages, races, religions, ethnicities, and criminal backgrounds. In fact, a great majority of cannabis users are normal citizens who use the drug for a variety of reasons within the confines of their own home.

All I see in this article is you casting a moral judgement on a person near death for mistakes committed in the past. While I respect your profession, I can’t say the same for your opinion.

By: thehim

thehim — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:23:52 +0000

A few things you got wrong here or possibly just misrepresented.

1) You’re making an assumption that the patient here would continue to use marijuana after the transplant. That was neither said nor implied in the article

2) You’re making the classic mistake of viewing a medical marijuana user as an addict. Medical marijuana patients are not addicts, any more than someone who takes medication for any other type of medication for long term illnesses are addicts. Marijuana is far from being an addictive enough substance for someone to use it in a case when their life would be in danger.

The justification for denying this man a transplant is not rooted in medical reality, but in misperceptions about medical marijuana users and marijuana’s addictiveness. Someone who chooses to use marijuana as medicine is not in any way less responsible than those who don’t choose to use marijuana as medicine. You’re promoting a myth.