Review: Cannabis Use Does Not Negatively Impact Survival Rates in Transplantation Subjects

ANN ARBOR, MI — A history of cannabis use is not contraindicated in patients undergoing organ transplants, according to data published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports.

Investigators at the University of Michigan assessed the potential role of cannabis consumption in post-transplant complications. They reported, “[R]ecent studies suggest that the overall survival rates in kidney, liver, lung, and heart transplant patients using marijuana are equivalent to non-users.”

They concluded: “Transplant teams should not de facto exclude marijuana users from transplant listing. … Appropriate stewardship over donor organs, a limited and precious resource, … require[s] a balance of high-clinical standards with inclusive efforts to treat as many patients as possible.”

In recent years, lawmakers in various states – including California and Maine – have enacted legislation explicitly forbidding hospitals from discriminating against transplantation patients solely based upon their cannabis use history.

Full text of the study, “Marijuana use and organ transplantation: A review and implications for clinical practice,” appears in Current Psychiatry Reports.

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