Organ Donor Wait-List Patients Can Test Positive For Cannabis in California

Main St. By Marguerite Arnold

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Until now, seriously ill patients waiting for transplants were removed from the organ donor waiting list in California if they tested positive for cannabis. In what is being hailed as one of the more significant victories of the year for medical users, the State Assembly passed The Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act earlier this month. The bill was authored by assembly member Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) and sponsored by Americans for Safe Access - the largest marijuana patients' rights advocacy group in the U.S.

"This bill is not about drug policy or cannabis legalization," said Don Duncan, ASA's California Director. "It is about fundamental fairness and compassion. Legal medical cannabis patients should not have to choose between their doctor-recommended medicine and a life-saving organ transplant. Research shows that medical cannabis has no adverse affect on medical cannabis patients and may be beneficial in the organ transplant process. It is time for policies to catch up with science."