Patient Allowed To Die For Using Mmj?

[greenbuddha]

Wash. State MMJ User Dies Without TransplantPosted by CN Staff on March 02, 2011 at 08:21:30 PT

By The Associated Press

Source: Associated Press

 

Seattle, WA -- A musician who was denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval under Washington state law to ease the symptoms of advanced hepatitis C died Thursday.

 

The death of Timothy Garon, 56, at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center was confirmed to The Associated Press by his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center, which operates Bailey-Boushay.

 

Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.

 

The case has highlighted a new ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant, especially in the dozen states that have medical marijuana laws: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they've used pot with a doctor's blessing?

 

Garon died a week after his doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list because of his use of marijuana, although it was authorized under Washington state law.

 

"He said I'm going to die with such conviction," Garon told an AP reporter at the time. "I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused."

 

Garon believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager. In recent years, he said, pot has been the only drug he's used. In December, he was arrested for growing marijuana.

 

He had been in the hospice for two months and previously was rejected for a transplant at Swedish Medical Center for the same reason he later got from the university hospital.

 

Swedish said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months and 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.

 

Source: Associated Press (Wire)

Published: March 1, 2011

Copyright: 2011 The Associated Press

 

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[Sativasfied]

How do these people sleep?

 

Pills

[phaquetoo]

I couldnt read any more after died this past thurs day! man either im the most unstable m fer i know or this site makes me go up and down like 0 to 1.000.000.00 in 1 sec!

 

:growl: :growl:

[Big J]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swedish said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months and 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.

 

Well there you are... I always said if the health care bill passed we would have death panels to choose who lives and who dies! I hope they burn in hell with all the others who murder innocent people.

[greenbuddha]

The journalist that wrote this had his head up his rear. First he wrote that the pt was denied a liver transplant. THEN he wrote that the guy was denied a SPOT on the liver transplant list. If you read the article closely you will see that the guy wasn't denied a transplant just a spot on the list to wait for a transplant.

 

MOST people on the list never get a liver and those that do get it based on their MELD score. The MELD score is basically a score based on many factors that decide whether you should get the liver over other patients. While I would agree that his use of mm is a poor excuse for booting him from the list it sounds as though the guy probably had a low MELD score to begin with so wouldn't have been one of the lucky candidates anyway. The article doesn't specifically address his MELD score but with past drug (speed) abuse, his age, etc., I would bet his score would have been pretty low.

 

The article conveniently leaves out many facts in an effort to spread propaganda. The following quote was from the Seattle Times article about this guy:

 

The UW Medical Center declined to talk about Garon's case specifically, but released a statement saying: "Although medical marijuana may be an issue in rare cases, it is never the sole determinant in arriving at medical decisions about candidates for organ transplants, and whether a patient is listed. Patients with a reasonable chance of survival and a good outcome, given a variety of factors, are listed."

 

My point is that someone latched onto this story in an effort to demonize the transplant program and also to promote their mm activism. The transplant program can't defend itself because why the guy was denied a spot is confidential info. So someone decided that he was denied because of pot.

 

I remember this story. It's about 3 years old and a good example of biased media coverage. Not everybody gets a liver. You reduce your chances when you caused your own disease through drug abuse. Your chances are also reduced when you're old because older people are less likely to undergo a successful transplant. I say give the livers to the children. If there are any leftover THEN the rest of us can fight over them.

 

I will conclude by reiterating my belief that denying someone based on mm consumption is more than ridiculous. But that isn't what happened here...

 

 

"The case has highlighted a new ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant, especially in the dozen states that have medical marijuana laws: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they've used pot with a doctor's blessing?"

 

 

Ceiling, your points are well taken.

 

But I think the more 'important' concern here is the situation the 'transplant' issue could bring up in the 'future' for MMJ patients. In 'any' transplant situation 'drug' usage is always a consideration. But should MMJ be 'one' of those drugs that if used could reduce or eliminate someone from receiving a transplant?

 

I think any reasonable person that is aware of the negative attitudes and beliefs regarding MMJ could easily predict that this issue will come up many more times before the MMJ controversy is settled.

 

And you are correct... in my post title I should have said, "'WAS' this Patient Allowed to Die Due to MMJ use." I mistakenly left off the ????? at the end.

 

But regardless, many things will have to take place before MMJ is seen as a 'helping' medication within the medical community.

 

And sadly, at this point in time neither MY opinion nor YOURS will change that fact. But we can always hope.

[+420Atheist]

This patient was denied a spot on the list because of his medical marijuana use. He may or may not have received what he needed but he was denied that opportunity because he used a legal drug to help his condition. How absolutely absurd arguing that the media is biased toward marijuana.

 

Anyway if anyone is as outraged as I am about the decision you can let the hospital responsible know how you feel.

Media Relations: 206.543.3620

[greenbuddha]

I couldnt read any more after died this past thurs day! man either im the most unstable m fer i know or this site makes me go up and down like 0 to 1.000.000.00 in 1 sec!

 

:growl: :growl:

[/quote

 

Jim, check out my 'Relaxation' post in Let's Get Personal... might help... hope so.

 

Sorry for your loss.

[Bisharoo]

[greenbuddha]

I couldnt read any more after died this past thurs day! man either im the most unstable m fer i know or this site makes me go up and down like 0 to 1.000.000.00 in 1 sec!

 

:growl: :growl:

 

 

You've been holdin' back, Jim.

 

This is you, man. I know it is, Baby.

 

We all know now that you've been hidin' a secret, man.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGvejTmWNac&feature=related

[Guest finallyfree09]

This is what our health care system and our govt wants. We r drug users in their eyes and we don't have the right to live. Only a person that is already damned to burn in hell would deny someone a chance at life just because of mmj use.

 

My heart goes out to this mans family and friends.

 

My god.... What kind of govt would allow this heartless bs to go on any further? Our elected officials should be ashamed of the state our whole country is in because of prohibition.

[solabeirtan]

More likely reason he was denied is: he didn't have [good ?] Health Insurance. It has to do with Pharmocracy and the denial of Medical Care ...

[big bud]

Wash. State MMJ User Dies Without TransplantPosted by CN Staff on March 02, 2011 at 08:21:30 PT

By The Associated Press

Source: Associated Press

 

Seattle, WA -- A musician who was denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval under Washington state law to ease the symptoms of advanced hepatitis C died Thursday.

 

The death of Timothy Garon, 56, at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center was confirmed to The Associated Press by his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center, which operates Bailey-Boushay.

 

Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.

 

The case has highlighted a new ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant, especially in the dozen states that have medical marijuana laws: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they've used pot with a doctor's blessing?

 

Garon died a week after his doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list because of his use of marijuana, although it was authorized under Washington state law.

 

"He said I'm going to die with such conviction," Garon told an AP reporter at the time. "I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused."

 

Garon believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager. In recent years, he said, pot has been the only drug he's used. In December, he was arrested for growing marijuana.

 

He had been in the hospice for two months and previously was rejected for a transplant at Swedish Medical Center for the same reason he later got from the university hospital.

 

Swedish said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months and 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.

 

Source: Associated Press (Wire)

Published: March 1, 2011

Copyright: 2011 The Associated Press

 

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http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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