Re: Man condemned to death (and he died) for smoking Medical Marijuana!

"Husky" <Cynsguy@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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On May 4, 2:19 pm, "El Guapo" <pleth...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Husky" <Cyns...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:700d4c46-d42f-4499-b397-3824ec06378c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



On May 4, 1:46 pm, "El Guapo" <pleth...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Husky" <Cyns...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:ab2ad064-a406-48ea-a51c-e1341c639e9f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On May 4, 12:56 pm, "El Guapo" <pleth...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Husky" <Cyns...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:630ef16f-d6fc-4007-86d6-34407234ec03@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Passing: Timothy Garon, who was denied a liver transplant largely
because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the
symptoms
of hepatitis C, has died. Garon, 56, died Thursday at an
intensive-
care nursing center in Seattle, said his lawyer and a spokeswoman
for
the operator of the nursing center. His death came a week after a
doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center
committee
had again denied him a spot on the liver-transplant list. The
team
had
previously told him it would not consider placing him on the list
until he completed a 60-day drug-treatment class. Garon's doctor
had
authorized him to smoke pot to alleviate nausea and abdominal
pain
and
to stimulate his appetite, and said he did not know the marijuana
usage would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturd...

I'm sorry that this guy died, and personally I think that marijuana
should
be legalized. However, that last sentence in your post is pure
bullshit
on
somebody's part. What doctor doesn't know that drug use will
exclude
a
patient from consideration for an organ transplant? Was he seeing
Dr.
Nick
Riviera? Was he educated at Hollywood Upstairs Medical College?

Surely, his Doctor wasn't from Duke, but the bottom line is that the
use of marijuana prevented this guys from having a possibility to
survive. That's pathetic.
The post was a copy/paste job, from the news article.

Yes, it did. Some diabetics are also prevented from receiving
transplants
because of their use of donuts. Do we blame the donuts, or the guy
who
ate
them when he wasn't supposed to?

The reality is that there are more people needing organs than there
are
organs, and because of that, stringent rules are set as to who gets
one
and
who does not. The idea that neither Mr. Garon nor his doctor was
aware
of
that is ridiculous.

Agreed, about the Doctor, that is. BUT, if a person needed a heart
transplant, the eating of donuts wouldn't have prevented a
transplant.

It could indeed, if that person was diabetic.

The question is; was it the legal status of marijuana, or it's
relationship to the organ that prevented the transplant? i.e. a
drinker couldn't get a liver either (Unless he was Pat Summerall)

It's not the legal status, except in the possible case of insurance
companies refusing to pay for the procedure if the patient is using
illegal
drugs. However, marijuana use is considered by some transplant programs
to
be indicative of an addictive personality. That seems to be the reason
here, because he could have gone back on the list if he had completed a
treatment program. Keep in mind that each hospital/program has its own
rules. Some will exclude illegal drug users automatically (and marijuana
is
illegal under federal law, regardless of whether states have legalized it
or
not). Others require a treatment program, and some do not consider it a
factor unless it directly affects the organ. Each program devises its
rules
based on who they think will be the best candidates, based on who they
think
is most likely to survive and not later cause damage to the organ through
their behavior.

Do they apply the same criterion to tabacco use? (It's a serious
question.)
What I'd like to know is if MJ was not illegal would he have possibly
been eligible for consideration.

Yes, it can be a criteria. Again, it depends on the program and the
transplant. For instance, smoking can be an exclusion criteria for lung
transplants, although it is often discretionary. After all, a large number
of the people needing lung transplants were lifelong smokers, so you can't
exclude them all. They will weigh it as a factor, however, especially if
the patient's smoking was recent.

I would assume it could be used as a compliance factor as well.
Noncompliance (ie., not doing what the doctors told you, and not following
the program rules) will typically mean an automatic exclusion. The
assumption is that if you can't follow the rules before the transplant, then
you won't be able to follow them after the transplant (which is a leading
cause of poor outcomes.) If you were told to stop smoking, then you must
stop smoking. It's that simple.

I don't think there is an answer to your question. If marijuana was legal,
it might be more likely to be overlooked as a risk factor. Then again, it
might not. It's hard to say for sure.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Man condemned to death (and he died) for smoking Medical Marijuana!
    ... because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the symptoms ... Garon's doctor had ... usage would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant. ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)
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    ... Medical marijuana patients face transplant hurdles ... But Garon's been refused a spot on the transplant list, ... lot of prescription medications, ...
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  • Re: Medical Pot Smoker Denied Liver Transplant, Dies...
    ... I haven't done it yet but I'm all but decided to rescind my organ donor status and send letters to the national organizationand the hospital telling them I don't feel comfortable with the possibility of my organs being used to promote someone's moral agenda at the cost of someone else's life. ... Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco will also give you problems if you are looking for a transplant. ... The drugs patients take to help their bodies accept a new organ increase the risk of aspergillosis, a frequently fatal infection caused by a common mold found in marijuana and tobacco." ... In the particular case the potential recipient was following his doctor's advice regarding the use of marijuana and that is what got him bumped from the list. ...
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  • Re: Man condemned to death (and he died) for smoking Medical Marijuana!
    ... because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the symptoms ... Garon's doctor had ... usage would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant. ... relationship to the organ that prevented the transplant? ...
    (alt.sports.football.pro.ne-patriots)