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Are you a patient suffering from a condition that gives the option to use medicinal marijuana for treatment?  As helpful as it may seem, there now may be reasons to reconsider using the substance.  Currently there is about a dozen states that offer the substance for treatment.  However, patients have recently been denied organ transplants based on their previous use of the substance, regardless of whether it had been legally obtained and approved for their treatment.

In one case Timothy Garan, a 56-year-old musician, was removed from an organ recipient list because of his use and dependency on marijuana, as well as other medical conditions.  Some medical professionals think that the use of the drug could possibly prevent an organ transplant from being successful.  Mr. Garan’s doctor had been prescribing him the substance for pain relief, to increase his appetite, and as a sleep aid.  Garan suffers from Hepatitis C which is destructive to a person’s liver. 

It has been stated that when a transplant committee is determining who is qualified to receive an organ there are very high standards.  One of the criteria evaluated is whether the patient is likely to abuse alcohol or drugs.  Alcohol can contribute to liver problems and drug use could delay or make recovery difficult.

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