It is no secret: many people do drugs. However, many other people and organizations choose to ignore that fact. The medical world is still generally rejecting marijuana use and refraining from progressing with the rest of the country as more and more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana.

19-year old Riley Hancey was hospitalized late last year at University of Utah Hospital because he had contracted a severe form of pneumonia. He was in dire need of a double-lung transplant in order to survive. However, after being on life support for 30 days, Hancey was denied a spot on the University of Utah Hospital’s transplant list due to testing positive for THC, the chief intoxicant in marijuana. According to Riley’s father, Mark Hancey, Riley smoked marijuana on Thanksgiving, but previous to that, he was drug-free for a year.

“It sounds to me like the people denying others’ organs because they like to get a little high are the criminals, not the innocent potheads,” junior Brandon Cassavaugh said. “You can’t deny someone the right to live because they tested positive for THC.”

In 2016, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana. The University of Pennsylvania hospital agreed to perform the double-lung transplant, and Hancey is currently in recovery in Philadelphia. He was transported from Utah to Pennsylvania via plane. This young man, on the verge of death and in desperate need of a double-lung transplant to survive, was forced to endure a 4 hour and 20 minute long flight since the state of Utah is not progressing with the rest of the country.

“We do not transplant organs in patients with active alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use or dependencies until these issues are addressed.” University of Utah Hospital said in a public statement.

In this case, the hospital did not even address the issue. They refused to give Hansen an organ transplant, and he needed to fly to a different state just to survive. This is immoral and unreasonable.

Sadly enough, this is not the first time an incident similar to Hancey’s has occurred. In 2010, 32-year old Maine resident Garry Godfrey was removed from an organ transplant waiting list due to a health risk associated with his use of medical marijuana. Godfrey had been waiting for nearly a decade for a kidney transplant. He uses medical marijuana to relieve pain and other symptoms he suffers from Alport syndrome, a genetic condition characterized by progressive loss of kidney function.

Now, Godfrey is speaking out in support of a bill in Maine which would prohibit hospitals from determining a patient’s suitability for an organ transplant based on the use of medical marijuana. Similar legislation has been passed in the states of California, Washington, Illinois, Arizona, Delaware, and New Hampshire.

“I should have never had to choose between a life saving organ transplant and a life saving medicine,” Godfrey said while testifying to lawmakers.

Maine legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over five months prior to Godfrey introducing the bill. Where is the logic in legalizing recreational marijuana, but denying patients who utilize medical marijuana for the sake of their own health a needed, long-waited organ transplant?

“Most of the time, patients are given pills which have awful side affects, which they are then prescribed another pill for, and the process goes on until the pharmaceutical company has all of the patient’s money and the patient is severely addicted to their drugs,” Cassavaugh said. “This is why we need medical marijuana. Instead of the pills, they would be given a medical marijuana card and they could get instant relief from [pain]. Even if the patient doesn’t like smoking, which no lie is not healthy, they could get alternatives such as CBD oil, edibles, lotions, capsules and so on that will give the same effect without the health risks of smoking.”

Aspergillosis, a fungal infection, is a health concern for high-risk patients with compromised immune systems or a history of taking prescribed or recreational marijuana. This fungal infection is the best known health risk for organ transplants for someone who has tested positive for THC, and according to CNN, other than aspergillosis “researchers are desperately trying to better understand the potential health risk that may be associated with marijuana use and organ transplantation.”

Keep in mind that Aspergillosis is only a potential health risk, and no other potential health risks for patients with THC in their system receiving organ transplants have been discovered. While aspergillosis is deadly, it is not a guaranteed side effect. Is the risk for a potential health side effect worth rejecting someone a life-saving organ transplant?

“As long as the recent changes in the government do not affect it, medical marijuana will be widely recognized as the future of medicine,” Cassavaugh said.

While drug use does prohibit you from receiving an organ transplant, in some situations, it can be important to inform doctors about drug use. Any information of illegal drug use remains confidential.

“There are privacy rules. If a teenager says they’re using drugs, we’re not allowed to tell their parents by law,” St. Luke’s Health Network pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Gibson said. “We don’t tell police unless they’re hurting someone or using and driving. We don’t get family involved unless I feel someone is addicted and it is affecting their ability to function or they are hurting themselves. We encourage them to be open with family and be honest with their doctor about anything.”

Before surgery, it is strongly suggested that a patient quits smoking all substances, including marijuana, which can have the same detrimental effects on surgery as nicotine. It has the potential to make patients more or less susceptible to anesthetics. Carbon monoxide, found in any kind of smoke, affects blood pressure, making it increasingly difficult for the blood to carry oxygen. As a patient, It is crucial to inform anesthesiologists of any substance use before surgery, as it will most definitely impact the dosage amount of anesthesia.

“Discussing your drug use with your doctor is never a crime,” Dr. Gibson said. “We want people to be honest so we can screen them for signs of addiction and help them. Involving the police could result in a doctor losing their medical license. It is a violation of doctor-patient privilege, so patients should trust their doctors.”