Another interesting read.: hepmag.com... - British Liver Trust
Another interesting read.
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Thank you for bringing this article to the attention of the forum.
The following link has useful information:-
nhs.uk/conditions/medical-c...
I am sure that you and fellow forum users will be aware that the use of cannabis is currently illegal in this country except in cases where it has been prescribed for a specific situation.
There is no doubt that many cannabis-based products are available to buy online, but their quality and content is not known. They may be potentially dangerous as well as illegal.
regards
![Poobear69 profile image](https://images.hu-production.be/avatars/62351c53a46e1403e434b04c75c6e5de_small@2x_100x100.jpg)
The poi y that I found interesting was that the US take you off the transplant list if you're found to be ingesting cannabis?
Yes, it is interesting and possibly not what patients might have expected to happen - a cautionary tale !
regards
![Bootandall profile image](https://images.hu-production.be/avatars/183de645187eed6e2da98eeec78ecb09_small@2x_100x100.jpg)
FYI they do tell patients long before they are listed.
Do you have experience using it poo?
No I've only sed once about 30 years ago and I personally hated it? I was never into int recreational drugs even though I was surrounded by it. I do, however, feel that's a choice it is a choice that others should be able to make themselves? I cannot and would not judge? What I find interesting is that I was clearly, a d quite rightly, told that I need to demonstrate that I sought support for my addiction to school and stopped drinking alcohol. I did this and was subsequently assessed, listed and transplanted. The question I raise is, perhaps, a moral one. Should those that consume cannabis, pre transplant be treated the same as those that continue to consume alcohol? Should those post transplant be treated any any differently to those that begin to consume alchohol post transplant? In many cases I can see the benefits of medicinal cannabis and do agree that, in some cases, it should be permitted? This subject will offer many views and opinions. I, personally, struggle with understanding if consuming any addictive substance that harms out transplanted livers and or has an effect on our medications is somehow arrogant and dishonouring our donors? This is just my view point and is not intended to judge.
Another great post Poo. I normally take things from America with a pinch of salt, as things are so much different over there. But this is interesting non-the-less.
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Totally agree Richard. I understand that the whole assessment is very different to here in the UK.
How is it different? Besides the testing for marijuana. This is a serious question, I mean no disrespect.
The reason it is a no no in the U.S. is that marijuana is classed here as a Schedule 1 drug, the same as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioides. Links in the above article show that in medical studies, marijuana has a beneficial affect on the liver if used with alcohol! But these same studies show that it is harmful to people with hepatitis, as it increases their fibrosis, possibly due to exposure to mold spores.
I would like to see it removed from Schedule 1 and regulated so that it is a uniform product with safety standards applied to it. And of course, more medical studies need to be done with a uniform product.
I happen to agree with you Boot,
Amsterdam is a good example, the danger we now have over here is that proper Marijuana is hard to come by, Skunk is far more dangerous and more readily available. If Marijuana was to become legalised then skunk would disappear over night. The only thing that would worry me would to see a lorry driver driving down the M6 smoking a joint, free as a bird and high as a kite.
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I'm not sure we do agree. Even if pot was legalized, driving while under the influence would still not be legal!! And I don't know anything about pot in Amsterdam, but don't expect legalization would eliminate a black market for home grown weed (if that is what you mean by skunk?) in the United States, certainly not overnight! We can agree to disagree, that is just my opinion. 👍
But pot is not heroin, or meth, oxy or coke. It should be removed from Schedule 1, IMHO, because it is not physically addictive and has been shown to have medicinal properties. Given one or the other, by definition, it should be removed from the list. I would truly like to know what the benefits and risks are, and removing it from the list is the first step toward that end.
Removing it from the schedule would not legalize it, only decriminalize it. The difference is, you would get a ticket for possession (and go to court, pay a fine, etc.) rather than being charged with the crime of possession, similar to a speeding ticket. Breaking the law (selling a quantity of it, for example ) would still get you thrown in the slammer. Whatever anyone personally thinks about legalization, the fact remains that pot is more benign than practically any other drug (you can't overdose on it), and shows some obvious medicinal benefits (for ex. prevents emesis, induces appetite). Whether there are risks or harmful effects, particularly to the liver, has not been well documented.
Perhaps marijuana should be classed as a class 1 drug here? I don't know enough about the drug to really make s informed choice? My.poi t was around marijuana v alcohol pre and post transplant and nothing more.
Don't know enough about the things you've mentioned and to be honest I've no view either way as to how law makers legislate re cannabis?
I don't know much about the UK, but we have Congress here that write bills, debate things, and then vote on them.
Same here basically. As we are all aware there are many conflicting professional opinions as to cannabis is or isn't addictive? I really don't want to debate that as I've already mentioned previously because I'm not well informed enough and don't really need to be? This thread began around the question of whether cannabis prohibits liver transplant listing? As I've more found out, here in the UK, it does. If that the policy of our NHS then so be it. It should be a warning to those with liver disease and needing a transplant to stop now as those abusing alcohol have to?
There is no debate that l am aware of, but of course I agree that we don't have to argue the point. It is illegal, and therefore illicit, and since the government (both yours and mine) have agreed to certain protocols, that's the end of it! 🙂
As your question was about whether or not cannabis use prohibits liver transplant listing, you may not be aware poo that these types of protocols exist for the primary reason that certain standards must be met around the world, so that we can all benefit from scientific advances no matter where they originate?
And let's then raise a glass, sparking water in my case, to those protocols.
Scottish liver transplant unit has the following on its clinical protocols re. cannabis.
Appendix 4 CONTRA-INDICATIONS TO LISTING
1. Alcoholic hepatitis- clinical syndrome of jaundice, coagulopathy rather than histological diagnosis
2. Repetitive episodes (more than 2) of non-compliance with medical care where there was not a satisfactory explanation. This should not be confined to management of their liver disease.
3. Return to drinking following full professional assessment and advice (this includes permanent removal from the list if found to be drinking while listed)
4. Concurrent or consecutive illicit drug use (except occasional cannabis use)
So they are even saying regular cannabis use is a contraindication.
Katie
Thank.you.so.much for sharing this Katie, appreciated. I'm happy to read that this is the case in Scotland. I'm going to look into if it's the same in England? I think that it would be grossly unjust if it isn't the case,? Again, thank you.
Okay, sounds like that's the same protocol as in the U.S.
If that was all you were wondering about.
No not at all. I enjoyed living in America, it was an adventure. My reference to the American medical website is a personal thing. I find they tend to over dramatise things which can often cause some to panic. The way I explain this is like this.
A person gets a splinter in the finger. So you go in search of advice. The normal advice would be to use a pair of tweezers or a sterilised needle and gently remove the offending item. Job done. The American version might advice, that this item needs to be removed as soon as possible otherwise infection may set in as the immune system starts to fight the invading bacteria. If the wound becomes infected. This may then may cause the wound to become gangrenous and amputation will be the only option.
Alright I've gone overboard here but the other aspect to consider is that a lot of the drugs and treatments available in the states aren't available here in the UK. This can give others false hope.
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As ever so well articulated fella.
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