Cannabinoids in Colorado: Liver Transplantation Recipients Follow National Trends

Humans have used cannabis for centuries and the systematic study of its health impact has only recently begun in earnest. The endocannabinoid system is an ancient chemical signaling system affecting emotion, sensory function and behavior. Understanding how exogenous cannabinoids affect this system has been limited by decades of regulatory prohibitions in the United States. Despite its federal status as a Schedule I drug, cannabis was first approved for medicinal use in California in 1996; and now all but 7 states allow some form of medicinal cannabinoid use. A naturalistic experiment is occurring in states like Colorado and Washington where recreational cannabis has been available for years. Along with California, Illinois, Michigan and New York, almost half of the United States population now lives in a state where cannabis is legal for recreational use without a prescription. Nevertheless, we have comparatively little evidence for cannabis’ direct effects on liver disease patient outcomes before and after liver transplantation (LT) despite cannabinoids’ broad implications in the field of organ transplantation.