Study Reveals Cannabis Doesn’t Impact Kidney Transplants
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]annabis consumption has no impact on the outcome of kidney transplant donors or recipients, according to a study shared on Nov. 15. Studies of this kind are desperately needed, as some cannabis-consuming patients remain on dialysis and the kidney transplant list, or are denied a transplant altogether.
Published in Clinical Kidney Journal, the new study suggests that kidney donors who consume cannabis are fully capable of donating healthy, viable kidneys. Researchers combed through 294 living donor medical records and 230 living kidney recipient medical records. Thirty-one of the donors and 27 of the recipients said they consume cannabis. After examining the data, researchers did not see any difference in postoperative outcomes and could not find any correlation between cannabis use and kidney function.
“A significant shortage in available potential kidney donors exists,” lead author Duane Baldwin said in a statement. “Our goal with this study was to start a conversation on this topic and to encourage other centers to study this important question. It is our hope that considering marijuana using donors could ultimately save lives.”
The cruelty in the medical industry knows no bounds. People like a man named Garry Godfrey have been denied a kidney transplant and left to die—simply because they consume medical cannabis. CNN called the situation a catch-22—because all too often the people that need kidneys or other organs also need medical cannabis in order to live without pain.
In 2018, the average wait-time for a kidney is three to 10 years. But because the National Kidney Registry recommendations ban “substance abusers,” many cannabis consumers are at times left to die if they admit to consuming cannabis. Dialysis isn’t a permanent situation, and some pass away while they are on dialysis.
The purpose behind the study is to help eventually increase the amount of people who would qualify to donate a kidney to people who have been waiting years for their day to come.
