Currently, there are over 100 thousand people on the national organ transplant waiting list, with 13 people dying every day waiting for an organ transplant. With such an intense shortage of organ donors, choosing an organ recipient can be very complicated.
Due to the shortage of organs, transplant centers are disqualifying potential patients from receiving a transplant for a multitude of reasons.
This means a transplant center can decide not to give a transplant to someone because of their cannabis use, regardless of whether it is for medical or recreational purposes. Many argue that because organs are in such high demand, those with the highest chance of success should be prioritized, and the potential long-term effects of cannabis use on organs could diminish the chance of success. With 24 states legalizing recreational cannabis use, the number of cannabis users has steadily increased.
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However, proponents of protecting cannabis users cite studies that indicate that there is no correlation between cannabis use and problems with organ transplants.
A survey of transplant providers showed that 68 percent of providers said they would allow listing a patient on the registry if they used medical cannabis. However, only 27.5 percent of providers listed a patient if they used cannabis recreationally. In some centers, providers will ban cannabis use in any form.
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This issue is further complicated by the lack of clear laws around this. While some states, like Alabama and California, have passed laws that prevent cannabis use as the sole reason for an organ denial, patients in other states are often left with uncertainty, as cannabis could be legal in that state, but they could still be denied a transplant.
As cannabis use continues to spread through the cultural consciousness and the law, this topic increases in importance, as patients potentially are denied a life-saving treatment.