SEATTLE -- 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.

Seattlest
SeattlePI
Ventura County Star

This is gone up on digg so hopefully it will get the coverage and sympathy it deserves. I put this under politics because it's too heavy for Toke n' Talk. This discussion deserves a serious note.

-Dev

The person/persons that refused his transplant should be charged with Murder. At least Negligent Homicide. The condemning of a person to death by refusing treatment should be a crime, no ifs ands or buts.

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I've read the thing a few times. I don't understand, surely even if he was smoking marijuana illegally it wouldn't matter in the slightest. Can someone explain to me how smoking marijuana disqualified him from a life saving procedure? The more I think about it the more angry I get, there isn't a lot that offends me but this does though. Thank fuck I never knew this guy or he isn't part of my family because the hatred I would have would cause someone great harm. The arrogance and bias against marijuana displayed users is disgusting.

-Dev

The Star understands that with a shortage of organs for transplant, available organs should go to those most likely to take care of them. That is why patients who drink heavily or use illegal drugs are often excluded from transplant lists. However, it is inconceivable that a sick person a doctor has deemed a candidate for medical marijuana is lumped in the same category as a drug abuser

You may not be aware of this either, as a disabled vet who is in pain 24/7 the VA refuses to give me any type narcotic drug to help with the pain as long as I test positive with thc in my system. I do not like the feeling I get when I use hydrocodone or codene so I prefer pot for my pain. There are times when the pain is so bad I have no choice to use a narcotic type drug but I feel the VA's decision to withhold pain meds is just crazy.

Damn, Muneee ... As one who has had extensive experience with chronic pain, I feel for you.

This is typical of what our medical system would look like if placed under complete government control. Rationing, shortages and screwed up political priorities like in Muneee's case would abound.

Vi

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this shit pisses me off as much as those 'above the influence' commercials. I don't know about any chronic pain or whatever, but I was depressed for a good two years when I was a teenager, without weed I almost certainly would have killed myself. I didn't act any different so nobody would've even thought I was depressed. nearly, everytime I was sober, I'd start thinking, and that led to alot of self-loathing. so................. I forgot where I was going with this. anyway, that is completely fucked up and I completely agree with medicineman

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I'm a vet too, I guess it's just certain drugs because they know I smoke, but have never refuse me any medication ... I don't recall ever being on any pain meds though ...

but that is fucked up ... what happen to the Hippocratic oath?

Some people really turned their nose to people that use pot ... hell ... when I was looking for help from the geeks when I had a problem getting to this site ... a couple of the mods closes and modified my threads because "they don't condone that sort of thing" ... it's a plant for christ sake ... they need to pull themselves together.

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It has nothing to do with the hippocratic oath ... and everything to do with the intimidation tactics of the federal government against doctors. Most doctors are scared shitless to prescribe cannabis for fear of losing their right to prescribe "normal" medications. That would be an automatic door closer for most medical practices.

Vi

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So let me get this straight. Weed is illegal since it is supposedly "bad" for us. They are trying to protect us by keeping it illegal right? So instead of trying to keep this man healthy and alive they give him a death sentence because weed is "bad" for him?

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