Marijuana Study Indicates an Increased Survival Rate for Patients

Randy Rozek • October 24, 2014

According to research published in the American Surgeon, a scientific journal, patients who showed a history of cannabis use had a higher rate of survival than non-users. UCLA Medical students conducted a three-year review of brain injury trauma patients and discovered that 97.6 percent of those that tested positive for marijuana survived surgery. In contrast, patients who tested negative for pot possessed an 88.7 percent survival rate.

Medical students examined 446 drug records for patients who suffered a traumatic brain injury. Doctors test for drugs to decide on the best treatment plan. Prior studies on marijuana have been shown to decrease pain and anxiety, increase appetite and reduce muscle spasms. However, no one has measured the effects of marijuana on the system after suffering a brain injury. David Plurad, a bio-medical researcher, said that this is one of the first studies that associated THC with a higher survival rating. Plurad noted that there is a huge difference between the natural compounds and synthetic compounds of marijuana.

Although an explanation is not known, Plurad hypothesizes that the THC reduces the swelling and inflammation of the brain. The surgeons greatest obstacle is overcoming the intracranial pressure during a traumatic head injury. Decreasing swelling of the brain could advance the medical industry.

According to psychologist Dr Max Wachtel, a person may test positive for THC a month after smoking. A person does not necessarily need to be high before sustaining a brain injury. They just have to have it in their system. Although the study suggests an increased survival rate, further research will need to be conducted before prescribing marijuana as a method to reduce head trauma. More studies are needed to support and further the evidence of marijuana increasing a person’s survival chances.