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Northwest Voices | Letters to the Editor

Welcome to The Seattle Times' online letters to the editor, a sampling of readers' opinions. Join the conversation by commenting on these letters or send your own letter of up to 200 words opinion@seattletimes.com.

December 20, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Medical marijuana use complicates liver transplants

Posted by Letters editor

Marijuana use by hepatitis C patients could be harmful

It is interesting to see two articles the same day about marijuana. Columnist Neal Peirce wonders why President Obama has backed away from the advocacy of pro-marijuana candidate Obama [“Obama’s puzzling silence on pot,” Opinion, Dec. 18] and LA Times reporter Anna Gorman highlights the plight of a hepatitis C patient who was rejected for a liver transplant as his condition advanced into liver cancer. [“Medical marijuana adds crimp to liver transplant eligibility,” seattletimes.com, Dec. 17.] The rejection was based on his use of approved medical marijuana.

It might help everyone to know that evidence seems to show that hepatitis C patients progress three to four times as rapidly to cirrhosis, and then to liver cancer, when smoking marijuana. This is a deadly trap set by the use of medical or nonmedical marijuana for chronic pain of hepatitis C.

— Gerald N. Yorioka, M.D., Mill Creek

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I think the real issue is, that they just want to stir it up. one liver problem and oh my god! There it is ban Mara Juana . how many benefit?...  Posted on December 22, 2011 at 11:22 AM by always truthfull. Jump to comment
In-depth series on hepatitis C, the silent epidemic--price tag of $30 billion annually and growing toward $85 billion in 2027....  Posted on December 22, 2011 at 6:47 AM by Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson. Jump to comment
As with any push to legalize something illegal, the risks and consequences are downplayed or ignored. Science and fact are unimportant if used to...  Posted on December 21, 2011 at 2:00 PM by pupsncats. Jump to comment

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