Sacrificed for Medi-Pot Use
A 56-year-old man in Washington, suffering from Hepatitis C, died Thursday because he couldn’t get a liver transplant. The University of Washington Medical Center denied the man, Timothy Garon, potentially life-saving surgery based on the fact that he uses medical marijuana under his doctor’s supervision (and in accordance with state law.)
UWMC said it would reconsider its denial if Garon enrolled in a 60-day drug treatment program; when Garon tried again to change their minds, UWMC upheld it’s prior decision. The problem is, he didn’t make it that long.
Garon used marijuana to treat his hepatitis C-related nausea, abdominal pain, and lack of appetite. According to Dr. Robert Sade, director of the Institute of Human Values in Health Care at the Medical University of South Carolina, “Marijuana, unlike alcohol, has no direct effect on the liver,” and Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, “There are no pharmacological or physiological reasons why Tim Garon, or any medical marijuana patient, should logically be denied access to life-saving or life-enhancing organ transplants.” So why is this man still being denied?
Individual hospitals have the authority to create their own criteria for transplant eligibility; there is no national or statewide standard.
After hearing of the committee’s decision, Garon said, “I’m not angry, I’m not mad, I’m just confused.” Well, me too. If it is legal for him to smoke medicinal marijuana in the state of Washington, then the hospital should not have the authority to deny him surgery that could save his life based solely on that fact, especially with scientific evidence saying that it’s okay!
Lennon Garon, Timothy’s son, is also concerned about the future. “He’s not the first person that this happened to. He’s not going to be the last person until these policies are changed.”
I think it’s absolutely disgusting that they’d sacrifice Timothy Garon on the ‘altar of pot prohibition’ rather than treating him like they would any other suffering person! He’s a human being first and a pot smoker last (AND. ITS. LEGAL!) - People need to think about these things before they make such rash decisions!
You can read more about this case here, here, & here and contact NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre at (202) 483-5500.
Related Posts
Ally is a full-time student majoring in Communication Disorders. She spends her time as a dedicated activist and blogger for marijuana law reform and is the Executive Assistant for Woman Tribune, a webspace for women. She lives in Orange County, NY where she is a practicing Wiccan and shares her life with her psycho hamster, Chouji, and boyfriend, Pugz. She is currently launching her first business, Ally McCoy Media, a web and graphic design firm.
Email this author · All posts by Ally
This kind of stuff upsets me to no end. Here’s to hoping the world is a LOT better place in the future.
This is sick, man.