Dying Patient Kicked Out of Hospital for Using Medical Marijuana

[kpete]

Source: NBC

Dying Patient Kicked Out of Hospital for Using Medical Marijuana
"Any particles from vapor and odor could have an impact on other patients and hospital employees," UCSF said in a statement.

...................

Angel Raich, who fought for the right to use medical cannabis in the US Superme Court back in 2004 and 2005, talked to us outside of UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco moments after she said they booted her out.

"The pharmacist says 'you’re not allowed to have canabus in this hospital,'" Raich said. "'And if you’re gonna try to have canabus in this hospital we’re going to call the Feds.'"

Raich said she checked into the hospital Monday morning for doctor-ordered tests on her brain. She suffers from chronic pain and seizures from an inoperable brain tumor and doctors didn't give her very long to live, she said.

"'You’re basically saying if I stay it’s like giving me a death sentence 'cause I’d have to be without my canibus,'" Raich said she told a hospital employee.

Read more: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Dying-Patient-Kicked-Out-of-Hospital-for-Using-Medical-Marijuana-142425965.html

[Marrah_G]

1. I think the hospital was probably in a tough spot here

Due to federal laws on pot and state restrictions on smoking in hospitals.

[Trillo]

3. I'm sure you're correct.

Unfortunately, this corporation revealed itself as a radical authoritarian.

[virgogal]

2. The hospital is smoke-free. That's it.

[bahrbearian]

11. You can use a vaporizer

[MADem]

21. The hospital said no smoke/no vapor.

I didn't see anything about brownies, though...

[noiretextatique]

35. vapor is not smoke

and she was using a vaporizer.

[cbayer]

4. Sorry, but edibles are very readily availble in California.

Something doesn't smell right here.

[siligut]

5. That was my first thought too

It doesn't have to be smoked to be effective.

[azurnoir]

10. I would agree it was the hospitals statement that indicted it was smoked nothing the patient said

would indicate what form was being used, and the hospital told her no cannabis allowed not no smoking cannabis allowed

one could say she did not have to tell them but I'll bet they were also monitoring her THC blood levels

[cbayer]

12. She was using an inhaler, whichis essentially a vaporizer

While it doesn't create smoke from burning, it does create a vapor which is released into the air and exhaled by the patient.

Monitoring THC levels in someone that uses MJ regularly is totally useless and there is nothing that prohibits a patient from using edible MJ in a hospital (or anywhere else in CA).

Two points -

Vaporized MJ would be absorbed by other patients and staff.

This person is described as a "celebrity" in the world of MMJ activism. I would guess that she might have a history with this hospital, was being militant and is playing the story of getting "thrown out" for all it's worth. It appears that she voluntarily left after being told she couldn't use her inhaler.

[azurnoir]

17. the OP does not indicate what form of MJ she was using

now maybe your more familiar with this person than I am as it says she has fought in court, but the OP article does not say and only really gives the hospitals statement any further statement from her was cut short apparently because she had a seizure

[cbayer]

19. I read a couple of other articles on this

Here is the part about the inhaler:

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/medical-marijuana-advocate-claims-she-was-thrown-o/nLRRn/

and this is the one where she is called a "celebrity"

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/medical-marijuana-advocate-claims-she-was-thrown-o/nLRRn/

[noiretextatique]

36. per her doc, she needs to medicate every two hours

maybe edibles don't work for her. perhaps she needs a vapor dose to relieve her pain or stop her seizures.

[cbayer]

38. First, MJ doesn't stop seizures. She takes it for pain.

Second, there is no reason that she can't dose herself with edibles. They are well labeled here and, once familiar with a product, can be dosed very accurately.

Anyway, I think there were alternatives for her other than this. The hospital has a point. An inhaler subjects others to something that they may not want and that they may even have an adverse reaction to.

I think she was trying to make a point and perhaps the silver lining is that hospitals will needs to develop clear policies about this.

[noiretextatique]

39. i don't think you or i can say for certain how MJ affects her

and some people don't like the effect of edibles. i can only take them in very small dosages, but they do help me sleep.
i am not sure what type of device she was using, but a vapor pen doesn't have any impact on anyone else. one person objected to her use, and i find it hard to believe s/he was the only person who saw her. but i agree...she was probably trying to make a point.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. If she is smoking it --

then it goes against State law. Period. Why is she not using edibles? They do not violate the smoking ban and I am sure UCSF would allow this.

On edit: I want to add that I am 100% on board with medical MJ but, like with cigarette smoke, I do not want to have to "participate" in your smoking against my will.

[quakerboy]

31. I don't know that they would "allow"

but I have as yet to hear of a hospital refusing to allow friends with home baked treats to visit an ailing patient.

I would expect a hospital to react negatively to a person smoking marijuana. Or vaporizing. Or smoking cigarettes. Or spyce. Or Clove cigarettes. Or incense. Or really anything that creates an air pollution and effects others.

[noiretextatique]

37. she was using a vaporizer...probably a vape pen

vapor pens don't really impact anyone else. edibles may not have the effect she needs to control her pain/seizures. i really like edibles for pain, but i think the vapor helped her control seizures, at least that's what i gleaned from the article.

[cbdo2007]

7. If she doesn't like the hospital's "no smoking" policy then why did she go??

Even if you think it's ok to smoke pot, isn't your right to smoke pot where ever you want. Nor should it be ok in hospitals.

[lame54]

9. She probably went because...

UCSF Medical Center has one of the largest brain tumor centers in the nation. With recent advances in treatments, the outlook for patients with brain and spinal cord tumors has significantly improved.
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/brain_tumors/

[cbdo2007]

14. but why did she feel the need to go there and smoke pot??

[lame54]

16. do you object to the smoke or the consumption?...

they could have supplied her with baked goods (under the table of course- fucking neanderthal drug laws)

[SomethingFishy]

25. Really... what a jerk huh?

I mean, just because she's fucking dying, her doctor sent her there, and the pot was for medical use what right does this woman have to dump her terrible habits on you. I bet she doesn't even get up to open the window. I mean how rude can you get.

Next time her brain tumor bothers her she should think about THE CHILDREN and stay home to suffer.

[noiretextatique]

40. she wasn't "smoking" and she did it because MJ helps her deal with her condition

and since she is dying, she should use whatever helps her.

[MADem]

22. Her doctor ordered her to go for tests.

She should have brought her brownies with her, IMO...

[uwep]

8. If you are appalled at this see what is happening in congress --

Are the Democrats in on this???????

As the deadline nears for health insurance companies to return nearly $1.4 billion to us for wasting our money, the lobbyists have moved in to stop it.

A bill in Congress would undermine our rebates, putting most of the money we deserve right back into insurance company pockets! I just took action at Consumers Union's website to fight the lobbyists, and hope you will join me.

Under new rules, if an insurance company spends more than 20 percent of our premium dollars on their paperwork, marketing and CEO salaries, we get a rebate, or lower rates.

The deadline for the first round of rebate checks is August 1. And it's estimated insurers owe 9 million Americans nearly $1.4 billion! But this bill would undermine that. Please add your voice now to help us fight these bills by taking action at the link below. Thank you!

http://cu.convio.net/getyourmoneysworth

[bahrbearian]

15. Signed the letter thanks for the Link

[24601]

45. Hmmm - are Democrats in on this? Probably not. After all, San Francisco is the most

conservative city in the most inbred redneck state in the nation. Didn't SF vote for Bush over Gore by a 3-2 margin and Bush over Kerry almost 2-1. Or maybe I just dreamed that last night.

[msongs]

13. now if they would kick out incompetent doctors and nurses who kill people lol nt

[virgogal]

18. The author,Cheryl Hurd,can't even get her spelling right. More

proof of the dumbing down of journalism.

[MADem]

20. Brownies....someone should have baked her some brownies. No problem with smoke, or vapor, and

as far as the issue of "cannabis in the hospital" goes, hey, don't ask, don't tell. Who's gonna notice if someone comes by and she scarfs down a brownie or a cookie? You can't get a nurse to come with a frigging glass of water, they're so overworked.

The question is, does she have any friends or advocates who could have helped her in this fashion--or is she being left alone in her hour of need?

[OKNancy]

26. back in 1998 a doctor and hospital looked the other way

as my Dad was dying of lung cancer.... and this was in Arkansas!
I think the doc actually got it for him... my memory is fuzzy ( rough time)

[MADem]

28. They were less shitty about smokin' in the hospitals back then...

They had lounges and such! Some places, you could take an elevator to the roof and puff away...!

Nice doctor--he got the "First, do no harm" thing down cold. I hope when it's my turn I have a doctor with half as much sense and compassion, if I am in a situation where I know before I go.

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. The amount of sympathy for this dying woman on this thread is underwhelming.

[MADem]

29. Who here says they don't feel badly for her? Who here is saying "Fuck you, lady! Ha ha!" No one is.

I'm not seeing a lack of sympathy, I am seeing a conversation about realities.

What I am seeing is that the hospital is in a tough spot. All it takes is one asshole to report the joint for allowing someone to smoke a joint, and the place could be shut down and people fired. So that would "help" the situation? Answer: No--it would not. It would just fuck over a bunch MORE people.

I am also seeing that people "in the know" are saying that one can get edible medicinal MJ in CA. Not being from there, I don't know if that is so, but if it is, that would be the way to do it. Or, she could go old school and have someone go get a box of Duncan Hines brownie mix and a couple of eggs and fire that shit up.

I am not seeing a lack of sympathy here. I am seeing a logistical discussion of the realities surrounding this issue.

[TheKentuckian]

47. It is more than plausible that eating anything is pretty tough on folks in this spot.

Vaping isn't smoke, there is no combustion. It is a totally different principle at work and the objections are a joke.

I've heard of plenty of very ill people who couldn't tolerate eating at all without getting high first and the public health tact gets awfully damn weak once the smoke is eliminated. This happy horseshit is just more of the control freaks acting a fucking monkey that will throw the world under the bus rather than move a milimeter off their dime.

[MADem]

48. Be that as it may (and you can see what my attitude is about this if you read my other posts in this

thread) it only takes ONE ASSHOLE to screw the works up. If one person complains that she is violating state or federal law, and the hospital adminstration ignores that complaint, then the hospital's certification and ability to operate could be in jeopardy.

The hospital had better be very careful when they find an entirely valid reason to fire that jerk--they don't want there to be any suggestions of reprisal or retribution.

As I said, someone should sneak the patient into the bathroom to do what needs done.

[noiretextatique]

34. she apparently had a seizure during the NBC interview

Berkeley-based Dr. Frank Lucido , Raich's primary care physician, says that Raich needs to use marijuana every two waking hours, and denying her the drug amounts to "malpractice," according to a statement on Raich's website. "Angel will suffer imminent harm without access to cannabis."

Television viewers saw exactly what Lucido is talking about, as Raich suffered a seizure during her brief interview with NBC. Raich was then taken to St. Mary's Hospital on Stanyan Street, according to NBC.

I don't see what the big deal is about her using a vaporizer, given her condition. One doctor or pharmacist objected, but other hospital workers must have seen her, and apparently did not object.

[Smilo]

24. Where is the compassion?

So there may be smoke - then find another way.

Don't tell me that there is no cannabis use in hospitals - ask the staff

Drs and nursing staff need to think outside the box and look at alternatives - brownies anyone?

[MADem]

30. She was there for tests and brought her own "medicine."

The stuff was not prescribed by the hospital.

She would have been better off bringing her own edible medication.

[noiretextatique]

33. she had a vaporizer...it's not clear what type

but i'll hazard a guess and suppose it was probably a pen type vaporizer. she should be able to use that without impacting anyone else.
maybe she doesn't get the benefit from edibles that she does from a vaporizer.

[MADem]

41. I'll be quite honest, here--I have no idea how the whole MM culture works.

I do know that, years and years ago, I had a close in-law whose mom was dying of cancer, and she couldn't smoke it, but she did very well with the brownies. There were no "vaporizers" back then, this was the dark ages. This was way before MM as a concept was even on the table--it was just a vague rumor that it worked for some, and my in-law was ready and willing to try anything because the poor woman was in agony. It did work, it did make her end of life and passing easier.

I guess we'd have to know what the specifics were in order to comment; as well as know what the specific objections of the staff were.

[noiretextatique]

42. i have seen you around enough to know you are a fair person

i recently got involved in the MM community: vapor pens are amazing devices, and i cannot wait until i can afford one. some people don't like the effect of edibles. i am one of them. i use edibles to sleep, not to function. while they do relieve pain, they make me too drowsy, so i can only take them in small dosages or at home. a vapor pen has a different effect for me, so i assume different delivery methods has different effects on the user. the odd thing about this story is only one person objected, and threatened to call the feds. i can't believe other people were not involved, who did not object. still... i guess i can see why the main institution doing research on the benefits of medical marijuana would object to a dying person using it on their campus, perhaps.

[MADem]

43. Some people are just....well, POOPS.

Perhaps someone should have gotten her into the crapper, and she could have "sneaked" in there.

In some situations, it only takes one jerk to screw it up for everyone else. I think that's probably what happened here--one "rules happy" authoritarian decided to hold this woman to the letter of the law, because he or she had the "power" and could...not because it was the right thing to do.

[noiretextatique]

44. my thoughts exactly eom

[subterranean]

27. Don't they have spell checkers or proofreaders at nbcbayarea.com?

I counted three different spellings of the word 'cannabis' in this article.

[DreamSmoker]

32. God Bless Her...

This Woman is one of the Highest Nails in the Board..
Fact is she is putting her life out there in support of all the MMJ Patients who are suffering and persecuted..

This could be your Mother or Sister.....

In California... Patients must go to a special Doctor to get a Medical Cannabis Recommendation and to Protect the Patients
from denial of Medical Insurance Coverage..FACT..

Just the Fact you use Cannabis in any way can result in Medical Insurance Benefits being instantly denied..
Your regular Doctor can choose not to treat you anymore and turn you in to your insurance company. Denial will result...

Next is Congress OKs Drug-Testing for Unemployment Benefits..


http://www.democraticunderground.com/1170305

[midnight]

46. Too bad that aren't doing everything to keep her comfortable...