Medical marijuana patients denied a spot on transplant list

[xfargox]

Regardless of how he got it --- The fact that they'd slam him with an event which occurred in his past AS A TEENAGER is reprehensible! Every day, TEENAGERS are tried in juvie courts for murders... This guy can't catch an even break.

What truly ANNOYS the SHIT outta me is that although a person does NOT have Hep C or any other illness except for PRESCRIPTION DRUG-INDUCED LIVER FAILURE, they can be denied access to a transplant purely because MJ is their choice of pain management instead of continuing a doctor's course of meds that CAUSED the condition...

Big Pharma is watching, xFargox... Good luck practicing any form of medicine without kow-towing to them, my friend...

Actually... look up Osteopathy, and tell me the pharms can touch me. Trust me, I think pharmacies are one of the biggest problems with America. I'm right there with you, bud

As for the other part, would you rather give the liver to a woman who got cirrhosis of the liver from cystic fibrosis, or to a man who was careless and shared needles and got hep c? The transplant committees would always go with the former over the latter.

Here's how they see it... how would you feel if your mother had the aforementioned condition and the doctor said "sorry, but we're giving the liver to a hepatitis c patient who got it from sharing needles for heroin as a teenager."

They aren't slamming him for having hep c. They'd merely be choosing a woman who truly was a victim rather than a man who is a victim of his own choices.

It's called preventable vs unpreventable risk factors.

I'm just saying that, even if this guy got on the list, he probably would die anyways, as do many people every day who are on the transplant list.

Edit: Also, don't think I'm not right there with you on the drug-induced liver failure. I think that's HIGHLY wrong, and I also do agree with everyone that marijuana use as a reason for exclusion is wrong. I'm just saying that the story is misleading, and is trying to make a guy seem like more of a victim than he is.

 

[JacuzziSplot]

Regardless of how he got it --- The fact that they'd slam him with an event which occurred in his past AS A TEENAGER is reprehensible! Every day, TEENAGERS are tried in juvie courts for murders... This guy can't catch an even break.

What truly ANNOYS the SHIT outta me is that although a person does NOT have Hep C or any other illness except for PRESCRIPTION DRUG-INDUCED LIVER FAILURE, they can be denied access to a transplant purely because MJ is their choice of pain management instead of continuing a doctor's course of meds that CAUSED the condition...

Big Pharma is watching, xFargox... Good luck practicing any form of medicine without kow-towing to them, my friend...

I totally agree it all B.S. politics big pharma surely is watching I am gonna repost a post I had in another thread about this

Prescription Drugs are a $300 billion a year industry in the usa. The Healthcare industry as a whole is worth 2.26 trillion a year thats 16% of every dollar spent in this country. To put that in perspective $572 billion was spent in 2008 on energy in all forms(gasoline, coal, nuclear, etc..).

Why do you think that Healthcare reform is failing in the house and senate even with a dem majority? The only way to get mj legal is at a local level first. We are fighting against the people with the deepest pockets in the world.

 

[xfargox]

Why do you think that Healthcare reform is failing in the house and senate even with a dem majority? The only way to get mj legal is at a local level first. We are fighting against the people with the deepest pockets in the world.

Exactly.

I don't think anyone's evil... but I think the pharmacies are about as close as we'll get to evil.

A very common practice in pharm production is to take a working, safe drug, either add a small amount of another substance or change something minor about the chemical structure of the drug (so that nothing is really altered), call it a new drug and charge twice as much. THEN, make sure the hospitals use that as the primary drug instead of the cheaper, equally effective drug.

I think that pharmacies are the reason we'll never have healthcare. I think people should eat right and exercise and avoid the doctors unless it feels very serious or it's an acute injury (broken leg, etc). Pharmacies want us to become hypochondriacs. They like the obesity rate in America. Without all these sick people, they'd be out of a job. Pharmaceuticals started out as a good thing WAY BACK WHEN, but now it's one of the most reprehensible jobs imo. Ethics have been lost in pharmacies long, long ago. That's why they pay so well, otherwise people wouldn't want to do it.

 

[iSmokeTrees]

I'm with xfargox on this one. Misleading article. He pulled the trigger, or in this case, pushed the syringe, that is going to cause his own death. It doesn't help him that he is an unmarried lead singer of a cover band and has no kids (the article would use the kids for sympathy if he had them). Like fargo said, who would you rather give a liver too, a cystic fibrosis mom with kids or some roadie who shares needles?

 

[treewizard]

Here's the webpage for the University of Washington Hospital:
https://www.washington.edu/admin/directory/Dispatch.cgi?DD_View,Edit&entryid=00100375

and the United Network for Organ Sharing: http://www.unos.org/contact.asp

As far as the UW thing goes, there is probably some other number for non WA residents. I don't know what it is. So that's on you. Seriously though, this is fucked up. Why should I give you my organs if you wouldn't give me a transplant? Fucking boycott!

 

[BurmeseDragon]

Cannabis isn't a life debilitating drug, such as many that doctors prescribe are...and that is the drugs that the board should look at. As the board is trying to review who would get the most out of organs.

It's sad and truly inspires anger, for them to actually say that someone isn't worth life because of using cannabis.

Control peoples access to pain control and you control a great deal. Even though this guy was using for blood pressure and appetite, it's a good pain killer...not for serious injuries, but for pain caused by depression, nerve injuries, and who knows what else...it's not as intoxicating as people think, it's not going to put you down like many other drugs do!

 

[nephilthim]

Well...don't misunderstand.

It's not like if it doesn't go to him it goes to no one. It's just going to someone else.

I don't think this one is as big an issue as you guys think.

easy for you to say you don't need a liver transplant.who cares where your liver goes as long a s it's appreciated by someone other than larry hagman.

 

[xfargox]

easy for you to say you don't need a liver transplant.who cares where your liver goes as long a s it's appreciated by someone other than larry hagman.

Again, I think you should read all of my posts in this thread before making such a judgment. Also, don't take a job in medicine

 

[JacuzziSplot]

easy for you to say you don't need a liver transplant.who cares where your liver goes as long a s it's appreciated by someone other than larry hagman.

xfargox is not saying he doesnt deserve a liver or not. Its just the article is very misleading. Marijuana use alone was not the reason this guy is not on the list. Fact is its his own fault he got sick and that is a huge factor in these decisions. He doesnt seem to have children another huge factor. He is in a rock band and uses Marijuana that prejudices the legitimacy of his medical need I am sure. Perception is everything.

 

[Researcher]

Remember, None of us are getting out of here alive.

 

[danimal7]

pretty soon we will all be excluded from one list or another

 

[PastorJ]

I have hep-c, & this isn't the first time I have heard of a story like this. All we patients can do is pray for some type of change & do what we can to see it come soon. Spend as much time with the ones ya love as possible. Also a lot of
Hep-C patients received this through a Doctor giving them a legal "tainted" blood transfusion. - Then they blame Illegal Drug use & deny valid transplants. Business of Death = Big Pharma & Greedy Doctors. They keep cats alive who are willing to take their drugs & pay their bills.- Very Sad indeed.

 

[Lisdexik]

It's sad when a HUMAN BEING is treated worse than most would treat their family pets..... Where's the fucking humanity in this country????? No wonder these sick fucks go home and drink themselves to sleep at night

 

[ijimunot]

I think a big part of the boards decision to deny him was his entire drug history. And the fact that he had hepatitis. The 60 day rehab program would have gave the board a chance to see where the guys head was at concerning all drugs. And there would be a huge question on how long would it take for the hepatitis to destroy the new liver. It may keep him alive for a few years but it may give someone else a chance live 50. The best solution is to get on the donation list so their are more livers to help more people.

 

[PharmaCan]

Perhaps pot smokers who are donors should change their status and let their local transplant group know why. Perhaps we could change their minds that way? Honestly all of my friends are. I bet that there are a high number of pot heads that are in general...

This is actually a very constructive idea! It would be pretty simple to put a printable form here on IC that people could fill out and send to local organ centers. All it would have say is something to the effect of, "As an organ donor I hereby direct that none of my organs shall be made available to any institution that uses marijuana use as a criteria in their recipient selection process." If enough people took the time to do it, it would have an impact. Organ donors are few and far between and the powers that be in the organ donor system might just find their drug war convictions start to fade if it directly affects the availability of organs.

My question is, how do you go about contacting the organ donor folks in a meaningful way? Do they have local offices?

PC