Hey there, hi there, ho there. Today I would like you to take a step back from politics and help to save the life of someone who has been discriminated against.
This is the story of medical marijuana, the law of unintended consequences and the astonishing obtuseness on the part of physicians who in acquiring godlike authority over life and death seem to have lost touch with their own basic humanity.
It's a heck of a story. Got time to make a difference? Read on.
Meet Seattle musician Timothy Garon. Check out his video. He's really good.
In addition to his great talent and a girlfriend who loves him dearly, Timothy Garon also has hepatitis C. Without a new liver, he has days to live. Right now, his death is assured because the transplant committee at the University of Washington Medical Center has refused to add Tim to the transplant list because he uses medical marijuana to ease his discomfort, medical marijuana which was prescribed by his physician.
"I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused," said Garon, lying in his hospital bed a few minutes after a doctor told him the hospital transplant committee's decision Thursday.
-Salon
Many transplant committees automatically reject patients who use "illicit substances." The transplant committee at the University of Washington Medical Center reviewed Garon's application at the request of his lawyer and denied it a second time.
"Everyone agrees that marijuana is the least habit-forming of all the recreational drugs, including alcohol," Gieringer said. "And unlike a lot of prescription medications, it's nontoxic to the liver."
--Dale Gieringer, state coordinator for the California chapter of NORML
I think it's time to kick up a fuss and save this man's life, don't you? Personally, I'm not sure where to begin and I want to post this diary as soon as possible. I'll amend it to add your suggestions. Hundreds of thousands of people visit this site every day. Most of them are activists. Let's figure out what to do about this together (please recommend this diary if you think the cause is worthy).
So what are we going to do, people?
Update: Contacts
Please be respectful in all of your communications and mindful that some of these phone lines are primarily for patients and their providers.
UW Medical Center
Switchboard: 206-598-3300
Transplant Services - Heart, Kidney, Liver, Lung (UWMC)
General Contact (Phone): (206) 598-6700
Robert Carithers, Jr., MD
Director, Hepatology Section, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine
Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program UWMC
doctorc@u.washington.edu
P: 206-598-4956
F: 206-598-3884