Deny Organ Transplants to Marijuana Users?

In a video and article on Medscape, Arthur L. Caplan, PhD notes that organ transplant centers routinely deny organ transplants to patients that test positive for drugs such as heroin, cocaine or, unfortunately, marijuana. Dr. Caplan describes the increasing acceptance of marijuana in our society, saying that over 40% admits to marijuana use and many users are acting within the laws of their states.

If we don’t make that change, we risk alienating a public that is increasingly accepting the use of marijuana for recreational purposes and accepting the idea that marijuana users shouldn’t be discriminated against.

Marijuana users are certainly still discriminated against; Aside from the majority of states that still live under full prohibition, legal marijuana users are still at risk of losing their jobs and their children.

Dr. Caplan is calling for a change in policy to allow marijuana users to receive organ transplants, and we at Weedist certainly commend him for it. He does cite common misguided concerns, such as the notion that a pothead will forget to take their prescribed medications or comply with medical instructions after a transplant, though he also asserts “I am not going to say that there is a huge amount of evidence for that particular worry, but it is a worry that transplant teams talk about.”