CASE REPORT
Denying renal transplantation to an adolescent medical cannabis user: An ethical case study
Jennie E. Ryan,
Maia Noeder,
Christine Burke,
Samuel C. Stubblefield,
Salwa Sulieman,
Elissa G. Miller,
Corresponding Author
Jennie E. Ryan
Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Correspondence
Jennie E. Ryan, Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 North Ingalls Building, Office 2234, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMaia Noeder
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Search for more papers by this authorChristine Burke
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Search for more papers by this authorSamuel C. Stubblefield
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorSalwa Sulieman
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorElissa G. Miller
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorJennie E. Ryan,
Maia Noeder,
Christine Burke,
Samuel C. Stubblefield,
Salwa Sulieman,
Elissa G. Miller,
Corresponding Author
Jennie E. Ryan
Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Correspondence
Jennie E. Ryan, Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, 400 North Ingalls Building, Office 2234, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMaia Noeder
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Search for more papers by this authorChristine Burke
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Search for more papers by this authorSamuel C. Stubblefield
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorSalwa Sulieman
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorElissa G. Miller
Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Medical cannabis is now legal in over half of the United States. As more patients adopt this unconventional therapy, it is inevitable that potential transplant recipients will disclose their cannabis use during transplant evaluation. Transplant teams are tasked with the decision to utilize a pressure resource, often with little guidance from international and national professional organizations. Many healthcare providers remain uniformed or misinformed about the risks of cannabis use and organ transplantation. In order to illustrate the multifaceted and complex evaluation of transplant patients using medical cannabis, this article presents the case of a 20-year-old woman recommended for renal transplant who was originally denied active listing due to her medical cannabis use. A review of the literature explores the perceived and actual risks of cannabis use in the immunocompromised patient. Furthermore, a discussion of the ethics of medical cannabis use and organ transplantation is included with recommendations for multidisciplinary transplant teams.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
No author has a conflict of interest to report.
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Citing Literature
