L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescription

[420]

Safe Access)
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is refusing to grant a liver transplant to a cancer patient because he used medical marijuana, which not only is legal under California law but also was prescribed by a Cedars doctor.

Diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in 2009, Norman B. Smith, 63, has been treated at Cedars-Sinai by oncologist Steven Miles, who approved medicinal marijuana in part to help his patient cope with the effects of chemotherapy. Smith became eligible for a liver transplant last year, but was removed from the list in February after testing positive for marijuana.

Hospital officials are insisting that Smith stop using marijuana for at least six months, undergo random drug testing, and participate in weekly substance-abuse counseling before they will consider putting him back on the list.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a medical marijuana advocacy group, publicly urged Cedars-Sinai to re-list Smith for a liver transplant and to alter its transplant eligibility policy.

"Denying necessary transplants to medical marijuana patients is the worst kind of discrimination," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford. "Cedars-Sinai would not be breaking any laws, federal or otherwise, by granting Norman Smith a liver transplant, and it's certainly the ethical thing to do."

Other medical marijuana patients in need of transplants have been denied by Cedars-Sinai and other hospitals in the U.S., according to ASA.

Source: AllGov - News - L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescription from Its own Doctor

 

[Irish]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

The sad fact of the matter is--every hospital does this. It's not just Cedar-Sinai. They all test for thc in the tox panels just so they can limit the treatment on the person that tests positive. Not only will they get dumped off an organ list, they'll be dumped off of surgery lists as well.

It's not fair, it's deplorable and highly unethical, and if I had my guess, BIG PHARMA has something to do with this....

 

[FastLan3]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

Contact Cedars-Sinai

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: Main Switchboard (310) 4-CEDARS (423-3277)

Contact Cedars-Sinai


Let Cedars-Sinai know they are being judged for their good work and bad judgment. This is wrong, and if they don't know this, we are obligated to tell them and enforce social pressure to have Cedars-Sinai Medical Center make the corrections necessary to their policy.

Write a personal letter, email, or call and make a complaint.

Here is my personal letter

"I am outraged to hear your policy doesn't recognize patients as eligible for-surgery or other-procedures-if the patient uses cannabis.

I was informed about a patient of your hospital, Norman B. Smith, and I am concerned that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has-misappropriated the-ethical-policy-of a "hospital";-an institution in which sick or injured persons are given medical or surgical treatment.

I am unaware of any published peer-reviewed medical research which warrants cautions against cannabis use and surgery?

Any other excuse should not be recognized. If this is a Federal-authority-measure, I would consider your-compliance-to be no different then the-officer-of the Nazis regime compliance with antisemitism, and you should be held responsible for your action. Yes, it is just the same and very serious, as I this issue seems to be-prominent-throughout the-American-hospitals.

What you have done is wrong, and I demand you change."

 

[Llama]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

As repugnant as the whole concept of denying a liver transplant because of testing positive for thc is, this is not the time to stand on principle! Stop the pot for 6 months get the transplant then fight from there. Mmj is not life and death, it is comfort. A new liver is a matter of life and death and that needs to be addressed first.

 

[Bassman59]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

I understand where you're coming from Llama, however, he was using under the guidance of his fucking oncologist at the same fucking HOSPITAL!

I am actually pissed that they have an oncologist that would suggest this treatment for someone KNOWING FULL WELL, a transplant aint gonna happen with it.

I would seriously get violent towards the oncologist and probably against the surgical policy makers. I mean I wouldnt care, I'm dying anyways.

It's just the after the fact shit that pisses me

 

[Llama]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

Bassman,
It's a pisser allright. You might want to smoke a joint and chill(works for me). It's really hard not to take these news stories personally, but if you let them eat at you it will make you crazy.
If we can ever get mj legalized it will solve all those issues.

 

[Bassman59]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

Llama,
I dont indulge. Haven't for over 35 yrs. I'm just growing to care for my elderly mother who needs the meds in an effort to help her with Alzheimers and a few other ailments.

However, I have always been known as a fighter or protector of "what's right" for people in general, and this is just one of those things that fires me up in that direction.

And besides, I'm already crazy so there's nothing more for these stories to make of me. But I dont take them personally.

 

[farmboy420]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

This is total BS, how many drugs do ya get from big pharma that could cause a transplant to go wrong or create complications, it amazes me when I hear of a drug on TV and then all the side effects are worse than the medical issue you most likely have....don't want to say to much as I have surgery in 2 weeks for what I hope is a minor issue but my surgeon told not to smoke for 2 weeks before but said tea, edibles, and ingesting MMJ is fine with him and he is a Kaiser MD.....I will say a prayer for Mr. Smith and hope that our society may learn something from this mans struggle...

 

[obiwansativa]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

Posted an email to them. I hope it helps. As a descendant of one who understood its botanical value, I abhor the needless totalitarian propaganda.

 

[Mindless]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

Sounds like Entrapment. Especially if the idea to try mmj was the doctors. I would get a lawyer.

 

[budbro]

Re: L.A. Hospital Denies Liver Transplant to Medical Marijuana User Despite Prescript

How could anyone read that article, and fail to see?