Medical Marijuana Could Cost You..Your life.

[*SNIP*]

Alot of people use it for legit reasons, where it is legal. Currently, there are fourteen states that support marijuana therapy.

But what if using "the herb" for therapeutic reasons, cost you a life saving organ transplant?

For in the now fourteen states that allow legal medicinal use of cannabis, a registered patient in need of a life-saving organ transplant will be disqualified for "abuse of illicit substances." For people like Tim Garon of Seattle, that was a death sentence.

All across America, hospitals are booting patients off of organ transplant lists because of their use of cannabis. Being a legal user of cannabis for medicinal purposes in the now fourteen states that recognize that right is of no help; even legal medical marijuana patients are essentially given a death sentence by hospital and insurance bureaucracies for their use of a safe, non-toxic herbal remedy.

Now whether or not you agree with marijuana being used for medical reasons, I think we can all agree that this is wrong. The government has long demonized the use of marijuana, like Reefer Madness, and the supposed War on Drugs.

But what about people like Timothy Garon?

The state of Washington recognizes Hep C as a qualifying condition for the medical use of cannabis. Garon's physician, Dr. Brad Roter, authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate his nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite while he awaited. Garon had become dangerously thin and malnourished and the cannabis therapy helped bring him back from the brink of death.

But unbeknown to Dr. Roter, hospital transplant programs have strict rules that forbid "substance abusers" from qualifying for organ transplants. Seattle's University of Washington Medical Center told Garon that if he ceased his marijuana use and tested clean for 60 days, he could have his liver transplant. Another medical center specified six months of marijuana abstinence before they'd save his life with surgery.

So....it's legal to be prescribed...but you cant use it?

Six months could be a death sentence.
60 days, in some cases could be a death sentence. If you are using the drug to help with eating, things are obviously pretty bad.

[*SNIP*]


So what do you think, ATS friends?

I would love to hear opinions from varied sources. Agree or disagree.

Full source article, click here.



Mod Note: Remove references to personal use.
Mod Note: Repaired external source tags for member.

[edit on 1/29/2010 by AshleyD]

The bottom line is, if weed was legal world-wide, life would be easier to take. Given the current situation with the Economy and Military, i think it would be a good idea. Just my thoughts though.

Blah.

Archaic, bigoted,unfounded and outdated policies cost a life saving organ transplant.

And yes, I am a fan... of constitutionally guaranteed freedom.

The medicinal qualities of Cannabis has not only been well documented it has deep anthropological, sociological and historic roots in the evolution of mankind and civilization.

Our earliest records of man reaching out to some form of god as well as many recent archeological revelations have shown not only the ancient value of the plant given to it by Shamans in various early pre Christian society's but as recent as the late 1960's and early 1970's it became a world wide archetype associated with peace, love, blue jeans and freedom.

Cocaine is associated with greed, murder, sex and corruption in popular culture while Mary Jane is associated with peace, medicine, alternative lifestyles, modern horticulture, organic living etc.

Makes one wonder why people are against the plant.

I do agree though that Cannabis use is not for everyone.

I do fully support the use of Cannabis as medicine.

thats blasphemy.
an organ transplant wouldnt be necesary if they studied the true form of medicatiing urself with the luvly mary jane. not referring to inducing it by smoking it, but rather thru hemp oil. not hemp seed oil, but REAL pure 100% thc hemp oil.

Heres more info about it, educate urselves.
www.phoenixtears.ca

it really IS a cure all medication, why do you think it is outlawed in the first place and not alcohol??? they (gov) dont want us growing our own medicine.

[edit on 10/13/2009 by Zeta Reticuli]

Personally, I think it is ridiculous to even lump marijuana in the same group as coc aine, crack, amphetamines, and other illegal drugs.

It's like those questions they give you on standardized IQ tests.

"Which one of these does not belong??"

Well obviously, marijuana doesnt fit in with the other drugs. But the government says it is still illegal.

If anything, alcohol should be illegal before marijuana.

This is very wrong, on the one hand you get the go ahead for marijuana use for medical reasons, and on the other hand your are disqualified for it’s use if you need serious medical help, talk about hypocritical, if say a person was using marijuana for recreational purposes then fair enough, but to be singled out and disqualified for a genuine use proscribed by a doctor is so wrong it’s laughable…

reply to post by Majestic RNA


Exactly!!!
You pee in the cup, and test positive for marijuana, but you have a prescription slip for it!! No one would say anything to you if it were for say..tylenol 3..or vicodin.

You would say "heres my prescription, you can call my doctor and he will confirm all of my prescriptions".

But apparently thats not ok with an "illicit substance". Even when it is used to treat a condition.

I watched a documentary on the History Channel some weeks ago concerning the illegality of marijuana and how it got that way. It was quite informative. In the U.S., in the late 1800's, doctors prescribed marijuana for over 100 ailments. And it apparantly was effective for those maladies. Along came William Randolph Hearst, and his hate for Mexicans, and his dislike of competition for newsprint by the hemp cultivators, and his editorials in his major newspapers, and voila!! Marijuana was outlawed. And now marijuana is legal in some cases, but using it can be detrimental, not by its affects on the user's body, but because of stupid laws. We seem to be so modernized, yet so primitive concerning some things.

Edited to add that Hearst, in his editorials, quoted medical experts he paid to back his claims that marijuana caused Mexicans to become lazy and good for nothing, yet caused black men to get violent and rape white women.

[edit on 28-1-2010 by kyred]

reply to post by Zeta Reticuli


Ive done research on this before, and youre right.

It may not be a "cure all", but it honestly does have alot of medicinal uses. But since it's illegal, you have to use pharmaceuticals..which power the big pharma corps.

Think about all of the uses marijuana has, medically. Now think about all of the products that would be taken off the shelves.

As WHITERAVEN mentioned, it is all documented.

I have a thread on big pharma coming up, I just need more research.

This isn't because of any fear of drugs.
This isn't done because of government laws.

They are only excuses, screens for the insurers to hide behind.

Health insurers have been determined for years now to maximise their profits by paying for as few procedures as possible, and doing their utmost to squirm out of the remaining few obligations they should meet.

Insurers want a world in which they don't have to cover anyone with a "pre-existing condition," and they would gleefully name severance of the umbilical cord a pre-existing condition.


It's not drug laws or hospital rules giving you grief here. It's the juggernaut of a medical system designed to serve a few wealthy profiteers.

reply to post by Kailassa


Good call!

I was just discussing this earlier, about how EVERYTHING can be a "pre-existing condition".

It wrangles you into a cage of high premiums, if you are lucky enough to get covered. Otherwise, you are turned down. If you are turned down by one, you will be turned down by the others.

It's a racketeering circle. It's sick.

So of course, "use of illicit substances" outweighs your "pre-existing condition". It's just a reason not to allow treatment.

Originally posted by whiteraven
Cocaine is associated with greed, murder, sex and corruption in popular culture while Mary Jane is associated with peace, medicine, alternative lifestyles, modern horticulture, organic living etc.

Don't want to be splitting hair, but this statement has gaps in logic. MJ is associated with s3x to no less degree than C is. The latter is also associated with unhindered creativity. The weed can easily be associated with murder when it comes to gang wars.

reply to post by InertiaZero


not only does it have so many medicinal purposes but look at all the various products we can make from using hemp, not only is it extremely durable but hemp grows SUPER FAST.

i would assume they are also disqualifying anyone who happens to test positive for opiates.

people asstound me with their stupidity sometimes, it's a legal medication, recognized for use in the treatment of people awaiting organ transplants, yet it will get you bumped from the transplant lists.

Very sad that laws would allow someone to die while a perfectly good transplant organ is available. I suppose that some might argue that a person using it for treatment may not be well enough to give the organ to begin with, if hep c is one of the reasons for prescribing marijuana I am certian those individuals would be avoided, that is obvious, but some of the disorders such as glaucoma shouldn't have any effect on someone who would recieve an organ if that is their only affliction.

"Removed my post after action was taken to correct the situation"

[edit on 29-1-2010 by Mr Mask]

this stuff is used in other countries without getting jailed.

so much hypocrisy in america dont u think?

reply to post by Mr Mask


Thats cool. Your loss.

It wasnt like I made a post about smoking marijuana. I just stated that I am not for it.

"Removed my post after action was taking to correct the situation"

[edit on 29-1-2010 by Mr Mask]