With the scarcity of donated organs, transplant committees like the one at the University of Washington Medical Center use tough standards, including whether the candidate has other serious health problems or is likely to drink or do drugs[...]But Reyes said that in addition to medical concerns, transplant committees _ which often include surgeons, social workers, and nutritionists _ must evaluate whether patients have the support and psychiatric health to cope with a complex post-operative regimen for the rest of their lives.

Things worked out OK--about 18 years ago.  He returned to a job that drug tests, so gave up the weed.

Something he presents, vehemently, when telling his story seldom comes up in other discussions.  He points out that the marijuana gave him a calming effect that reduced anxiety & quelled the sense of fear--very effectively.

A drinker can abuse the sh*t out of their liver and qualify for a liver transplant no problem, but a reefer smoker with Hepatitis can't because of drug war bullsh*t?

Just when I thought the drug war couldn't make me any angrier...and bitter.

Dr. Jorge Reyes, chief of the transplant division at UWMC, said that is not the only issue at hand. .... Doctors generally try to discourage smoking after transplant surgery because of the increased risk of infection from the administration of immunosuppressant drugs.

slightly more detailed explanation here:

Many doctors agree that using marijuana - smoking it, especially - is out of the question post-transplant. The drugs patients take to help their bodies accept a new organ increase the risk of aspergillosis, a frequently fatal infection caused by a common mold found in marijuana and tobacco.

But playing devil's advocate, there may well have been other factors in this case. There are never enough available organs. Not knowing more about the patient's case, I still wouldn't blame it all on the pot issue. The panels have people on who are nurses, social workers, and other clinicians who see post-transplant patients and how they fare.

BTW Medical marijuana in WA state involves -- at my facility -- a discussion of  risks/benefits, telling pt it may have some medical benefit per certain research. Just like I would with any drug I'd Rx. We do give them a form which may help if they encounter the police -- but some police will arrest anyway as possessing mj is still a federal crime.

The general rules come from something called UNOS, which divides the country into regions, each of which has several transplant centers. These centers follow the general guidlines that the organ itself shall not be put at risk - when one comes in there's usually more than one possible recipient literally lying there waiting - however each hopsital has considerable latitude. UCSF and West Coast hospitals in general are pretty rigid - East (particularly Fla and TX) are less so, particularly when it comes to the big drug, which is alcohol. However some hospitals kick you off for 3 or 6 months, some for a year.