I'm wondering about medical marijuana and the complications it can give patients waiting for transplants.
Doctors believe that medical marijuana may relieve pain, and increase appetite, amongst other benefits, but because it is still a drug with some risks, is actually preventing patients on organ waiting lists from receiving a transplant.
They believe that marijuana can affect the immune system and may hinter recovery in the crucial days after surgery. And being a natural plant, it may contain germs like aspergillosis that can cause respitory distress and pneumonia.
Doctors also fear that some patients may find it hard to quit once they get their new organ and continued use may be dangerous.
I think it's a sad Catch-22. I think anyone with the kind of chronic pain that cancer, MS, HIV/AIDS and other illnesses cause should be perfectly entitled to use medical marijuana that is legal in their state and prescribed by a doctor.
But these findings are very troublesome. There are nearly 100,000 on organ donor waiting lists.
What does anyone here think about the use of medical marijuana?
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Holding out for hope
If someone can receive a potentially a life-saving organ, I say hold off on the medical marijuana until an organ can be found. I know in some cases, someone who is very much indeed may not receive it. For those who are not candidates for organs, I'm fine with allowing them some comfort in the form of medicinal marijuana.
Posted: Mon., May 5, 2008, 03:31 pm
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