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Medical marijuana user denied transplant, dies...

komotv.com — A man died Thursday after being denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval under Washington state law.

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Aidenag 159 days ago, made popular 158 days ago

228 diggs
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bradspangler, on 05/02/2008, -8/+24Monsters!
b8man99, on 05/02/2008, -6/+26"the university hospital offered to reconsider if he enrolled in a 60-day drug treatment program, but doctors said his liver disease was too advanced for him to last that long. The university hospital committee agreed to reconsider anyway, then denied him again."

!!!! Crazy incompassionate ill-informed fools. The University of Washington Medical Center committee need some educating. Seriously.
thechr0nic, on 05/02/2008, -6/+10the only word I think comes close to describing how I feel about this:
disgusted.
NikoKun, on 05/02/2008, -4/+11T_T Darn... too late... No amount of outrage now, can fix this for him...

But this Issue shouldn't be let go and forgotten... We should work to correct this, so that those in need of transplants in the future, don't run into such a horribly ridiculous blockade... For using a doctor recommended medicine...

I know they want to limit the qualifications for transplants, but this is not something which they should hold against patients.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -2/+1Where did you get "doctor recommended"? I only see "authorized" in the article.
  It's a totally different meaning if you don't twist the facts away from reality.
  So in actuality, it's not really a "horribly ridiculous blockade" if he was the one who requested the marijuana in the first place.
  The doctor just mercifully approved his request.
natdowner, on 05/02/2008, -6/+13This is seriously ***** up. Are patients denied transplants when taking other prescription drugs? How these doctors can look a dying man in the face and tell him he can't have a chance to live because he smokes weed, a drug his doctor prescribed. WHEN WILL THIS ***** END!??
- thrallie, on 05/02/2008, -0/+3My question is, what if he was taking vicodin or another opiod? As far as I know those hurt the liver a lot more than marijuana. But to doctors if its FDA approved its okay, even if its heroin. If heroin was FDA approved they probably wouldn't care if he took it. This is sad when doctors listen to the governments medical bureaucracy over basic medical science.
- commenter01, on 05/02/2008, -0/+5It's not ***** up because of decisions made by doctors. It's ***** up because we need stem cell research to alleviate the shortage of organs. The decision made by the doctors is tough, but then again the guy wasn't exactly a prime candidate. Positive for HepC, 56 years old, and '[He] believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager.' The least of this guy's worries is the pot use.
- iLLz, on 05/02/2008, -0/+2Heroin is FDA approved, it's called MORPHINE! Oh what;s in a name, I tell you!
  - commenter01, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1its not. chemically similar, but NOT the same.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+4"Are patients denied transplants when taking other prescription drugs?"
  Yes, yes they are.
  Donor organs are relatively hard to come-by and only go to those who pose the best possible chance of the organ not being rejected, not necessarily to those who NEED them the most. If that WERE the case, then a widow could make the argument (granted a retarded one) that her DEAD husband needs ALL of his organs, tissue & bones transplanted since he's in DIRE NEED of them if he's to survive.
Marijuana, on 05/02/2008, -15/+2Ridiculous, simply ridiculous. How a government can do that to it's own citizens and get away with it is beyond me.
- PolishLogic, on 05/02/2008, -2/+10I read the story, then read it again, then one more time. I still can't find the part where the government made any decisions about this guy's transplant.
  - gametavern, on 05/02/2008, -0/+4buh buh buh... the government.
    
    The Government: The scapegoat for all societies shortcomings. (and personal shortcomings as well)
  - PhattyPhattMatt, on 05/02/2008, -0/+3you missed it? it was right there, oh wait, ya the government wasn't mentioned. I thought i saw it, but then I realized that I actually read the article and didn't see where it was the governments fault.
    Gametavern- good point. well played.
- Marijuana, on 05/02/2008, -0/+3The government allows this to happen, there shouldn't be no transplant technicalities over Marijuana in the first place. What the headline should really read is, "Medical plant user denied transplant, dies..." Ridiculous if you ask me.
  - PhattyPhattMatt, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1I dont remember asking you, but thanks for your opinion...
    - Marijuana, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2Oh? You were just trying to be a dick? Thanks for your opinion.
reeder, on 05/02/2008, -7/+4I'm glad irrational decisions now rule our medical decisions as well as our political ones. Especially when it involves murder by committee.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Actually this decision is QUITE rational. The Marijuana use is totally BESIDE the point.
  
  Ask yourself which person would the RARE doner liver most likely NOT be rejected by; a man who is in need of a liver because he's destroying his remaining liver through the continued use of a liver damaging drug (medicinal marijuana or otherwise), or someone else in dire need but is NOT continuously using a medication that damages the liver?
seandfeeney, on 05/02/2008, -7/+22dupe: http://digg.com/health/Medical_marijuana_user_who_ ...
- KWhat, on 05/02/2008, -1/+3This is a new record, the same story in less than 8 hours on the front page. To add insult to injury, the first story is #4 on the top 10 for today!
- Aidenag, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3Actually THAT submit is the dupe seandfreeney.... It was submitted almost 12hours AFTER i submitted this...... and looks like it was gamed to the frontpage by outside sources..(went fp in less than 2hr.....)
Everglow, on 05/02/2008, -3/+8There was a lot more behind this decision! RTFA!
Ymeg, on 05/02/2008, -5/+2How utterly disgusting.
AppleGeorge, on 05/02/2008, -4/+6I love how everyone is complaining and saying this is wrong and when will this ***** end. It's simple. It won't. As long as you're under US Government Laws, you're *****. I feel bad for the guy's family, but this is life. You were told when you were 5 years old that it wasn't fair. All of you acting like this is so rare and uncommon needs to get your head on straight. The world is way more ***** up than you realized, obviously.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -3/+1Before immediately jumping to the political troll argument, did you even consider how most people get hepC?
  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thum ...
  Or how many OTHER people would be a better transplant recipient for the RARE doner liver?
  Or the fact that his 'medicinal' marijuana use was not really necessary in the first place, but was optional and his own decision?
  - djdole, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1Damn digg, being f'in retarded and truncating the URL. Sorry, here's the URL:
    (remove the space and carriage-return).
    http ://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/
    Sources_of_Infection_for_Persons_with_Hepatitis_C_%28CDC%29_US.png
mwilkinson, on 05/02/2008, -3/+6LOL!!!!
Coolmatt49, on 05/02/2008, -5/+2Jerks, they should have first approved the transplant, get him better, and THEN put him in the drug-treatment program. How ***** hard is it to do that?!
- bluesatin, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Unforunately the idea usually is that, the hospital has to have proof that the person has stopped taking substance X before they give the transplant. So that they have some sort of reassurance that the person won't destroy their transplant X with that substance, essentially wasting it.
  I don't know of any research that shows marijuana does any damage to your liver, and besides that it wasn't even an illegal substance in this case, the people/person that turned him down was either mis-informed or complete douchebags.
  But if this liver was going to someone that could use it better, I could understand (He had hep-c, poor guy).
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Pretty hard actually, especially when the drugs he's on will cause the rare doner liver to be rejected by his body resulting in his death within days.
  How hard is it not to use substances that destroy your liver while waiting for a liver transplant?
funknjunk, on 05/02/2008, -4/+3***** disgusting
blitzkriegpunk, on 05/02/2008, -7/+5Do you people even read the articles anymore? ***** Christ!
wazzledoozle2, on 05/02/2008, -5/+4Everyone who voted against his transplant on that committee should be charged with manslaughter.
- sparr, on 05/02/2008, -2/+2And immediately pardoned for the life they saved. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that there are plenty of spare organs. There aren't. There was one liver to be had, and thousands of people waiting to get it. Some other person ALSO dying of liver failure on that same day got the liver instead.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1To add to sparr's VERY GOOD point...
  "There was one liver to be had, and thousands of people waiting to get it"... many if not most of whom aren't using a substance that increases the chance that the liver would be rejected.
Alix7, on 05/02/2008, -3/+5Completely retarded how we have millions of kids on ADD pills, millions of men over 50 on viagra (which increases blood pressure among other things), and everyone else on some prescription medication. But NOOOOOOO... when it comes to weed, time to call in ***** Area 51. Don't want to piss off the Alcohol and Tobacco Lobbyists AND the pharmaceutical companies. ***** you America.
jesuswuzanalien, on 05/02/2008, -11/+2Maybe if he didn't drink so much he wouldn't need that liver transplant.
- paperclipsNsoup, on 05/02/2008, -1/+5RTFA his liver failed because of Hep C
jynweythek, on 09/17/2008, -2/+6I hate to be "that guy," but this is a dupe. The first article is still in the top 10 so I don't see how so many people missed it first time around
gametavern, on 05/02/2008, -2/+9Whoa, died AGAIN. Wow. He already died this morning on the Digg front page.
- PhattyPhattMatt, on 05/02/2008, -0/+2maybe he got better since the last article...?
Hetman, on 05/02/2008, -2/+5Dupe this is already on the top 10 list. So I must bury. Im pro legalization of marijuana but this guy also has Hepatitis so it would have ruined his next liver anyways. Organs are rare why give it to someone that is going to need another transplant soon.
johnomaz, on 05/02/2008, -2/+10I think the Hepatitus C and liver disease killed him. Not the decision to not give him the transplant. I personally would rather give the liver to someone who's body won't destroy it again.
- mal1964, on 05/02/2008, -1/+3Thanks for the comment, Some diggers might not know the obvious. I'm serious.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1Bravo to johnomaz!
mal1964, on 05/02/2008, -3/+1Damm Swedes!
180andback, on 05/02/2008, -4/+4You smoke pot? Oh, then you're going to die. Next!
duckyinc, on 05/02/2008, -4/+2Of course most of digg is going to revolt. They all smoke marijuana for "medical purposes"
OJdidntdoIT, on 05/02/2008, -3/+2When Keeping it real goes wrong.........
SteelTallon, on 05/02/2008, -3/+1I don't get it. He was to receive a liver from someone else, not donate his.. What does it matter if the recipient smokes a little weed for medical reasons. Were they afraid that he would destroy his new one by smoking some weed afterwards. Maybe, if he got his new liver he wouldn't need the med. weed anymore. This is crazy!!
- thrallie, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1And since when does Marijuana destroy the liver? Out of every single anti-drug commercial and advertisement out there not one claims that marijuana hurts the liver. I don't see how it would, it goes through the lungs. Sure, every chemical in the blood goes through the liver but THC hasn't been found to hurt the liver as far as I know.
  - SteelTallon, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1I don't know either... I wouldn't think it would anymore than half the crap we breath or ingest. I guess that was the point of my comment. The guy smokes to alleviate Hep C symptoms. If he would have received his new liver, would he even have the symptoms anymore? Therefore, need to smoke? I am not a doctor or, an expert on Hep C.. or weed for that matter.
PacketScan, on 05/02/2008, -5/+1This was Murder.
atact88, on 05/02/2008, -4/+3The guy got caught growing pot. No surprise here. I feel sorry for him, but if you do something just because your doctor says it's ok, you're an idiot. Marijuana would have never cured him, or done anything to directly alleviate his symptoms. It'd get him high, but so do a lot of other things. And you all criticize pharma for "only" treating symptoms... idiots.
- Kyrgizion, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1You obviously have no idea of the medical effects of marihuana. I would elaborate but I get the feeling your mind is already made up and nothing will change it, so I will not waste both our time.
- phroztbyt3, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1You my friend are retarded. I expect my doctor to be my lifeline, to tell me what I have to hear. If he says I should be doing something that will help me.. NOT CURE ME... no 1 said that... at all....... then I will take his opinion into consideration. He was prescribed marijuana for the pain, not as a cure. It is less addictive, and less harmful than ANY prescription medication... what do you not understand. Your saying, if a doctor gave you a choice.. between something addictive, with side effects, and hurtful.... versus something not addictive, not harmful, and almost no side effects but it was illegal by a smidgeon... you'd rather risk your life? Thats good ol' american bs.... and IM AMERICAN!
- atact88, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1LoL you guys don't have to sit side by side with premeds all day. You guys don't do pharmaceutical research (I do). Stfu. I used to be a pothead myself. I know what weed does. It's a placebo.
mCanada, on 05/02/2008, -4/+2This is murder, plain and simple.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+2Not so plain, not so simple, and DEFINITELY NOT murder.
  Is it murder because you pull a conscious kid out of a burning school but can't save the other hundred, including the unconscious kid pinned under a burning beam and bleeding internally (who will die of the injuries anyway)?
  There isn't a one-to-one ratio of organs to those in need, and there are MANY factors that go into deciding who gets the rare doner liver.
ShempRider, on 05/02/2008, -4/+4His doctor let him smoke weed because of his liver disease.
Other doctors wouldn't give him a new liver because he smokes weed, so they let him die.

Something's seriously ***** up here.
charlestoN1, on 05/02/2008, -0/+7there was obviously more to it then that
Ighuc, on 05/02/2008, -1/+4:rolleyes:

I bet the lot of you didn't even read the article.
mlfoley, on 05/02/2008, -3/+1Murdered, you mean.
commenter01, on 05/02/2008, -0/+4I love how everyone assumes that livers are in such abundant supply. Lets face it (and I'm copy-pasting my earlier comment here):

It's not ***** up because of decisions made by doctors. It's ***** up because we need stem cell research to alleviate the shortage of organs. The decision made by the doctors is tough, but then again the guy wasn't exactly a prime candidate. Positive for HepC, 56 years old, and '[He] believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager.' The least of this guy's worries is the pot use.
- ShempRider, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Tim Garon probably would have died anyway, but he was denied ANY possible relief because his doctor's prescription allegedly flew in the face of some ethics panel.
  
  Then there's Mickey Mantle. While I don't assume livers are in abundant supply, Mickey Mantle was 63 when he got his new liver, despite cirhossis and hep C. He destroyed his "old one" over a lifetime of alcohol abuse and his new liver got him, what, an extra two months?
  
  The big question is: who decides, and for whom?
  - commenter01, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1There are many more Garons than Mantles, in more than one sense.
thegreatdane, on 05/02/2008, -4/+0Unreal. What an unbelievable tragedy. I hope the people responsible suffer such injustice themselves.
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Responsible? For what? He died of HEPATITIS-C, not failure to receive a new liver.
  So the only one responsible for his death was himself when he shared needles as a idiot teenager.
  So I guess you're hope has been fulfilled. The (IR)RESPONSIBLE person died. :-\
DaveD, on 05/02/2008, -2/+0Condolences to the family... As for the hospital, they should be shut down. I'm appalled by the lack of compassion this hospital displayed...
- djdole, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Livers for EVERYONE!
  *Rolls up with liver-wheelbarrow and starts a-fling'in*
  O_o
mysedai, on 05/02/2008, -2/+2Yes, this is tragic. Absolutely ***** tragic.
But, according to Wiki, "drug or alcohol abuse and active septic infections are absolute contraindications."
Drug use decreases the likelihood of a successful transplant. The committee that decides who gets on "the list" has an incredibly difficult job; in order to do that job without partiality, they must follow their rules and guidelines absolutely. Perhaps the marijuana he used most currently was legal, but the man had a lifelong history of drug use. They couldn't take the chance that they would give him a liver and he would stop using drugs. Let's say he got a liver, two months later was still smoking the medicinal weed and it caused his body to reject the organ. Somebody else who didn't use drugs and had a higher chance of survival didn't get the liver they needed.
Besides, I think we could argue that the committee didn't kill this guy... Sharing needles with speed freaks as a teenager did.
mal1964, on 05/02/2008, -2/+1"Man sharing needles with "speed freaks" denied transplant, dies"
Some digger comments,
***** junkie
Loser deserves it
That's his ***** fault
***** junkies have no will power
Why give it to him hes a waste, he will just use needles again
"Medical marijuana user denied transplant, dies"
Now its OK, You have to follow the diggers rules then its OK.
Not Me!
- NikoKun, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1You're a complete moron.
  That was stuff he did when he was a teenager. He wasn't a continued junkie his whole life. Should his mistakes in youth be held against him, even after death? -_- Let along when he could have been saved.
  
  Good lord, RTFA before you spout such misguided hate.
davbmn68, on 05/02/2008, -0/+3There was no guarantee that he would have gotten a liver in time. This was just to be listed. These boards are left with some very tough decisions. What about people who get a transplant and others who are listed below them that die waiting. There are no easy decisions when dealing with small amounts of organs and larger numbers of patients.
My advice is to make sure you tell your family to donate your organs, then this wouldn't even be an issue.
Thanks, from someone who is on a liver transplant list.
kichler, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0This is shocking and proves again that drug laws are still pretty ambiguous. As a rhetorical question: who can we really blame for this?
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/nicholas-cliffs ...
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Medical marijuana user denied transplant, dies...

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