A P R I L 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 5
I
f you don't ask your patients if they smoke weed, you might want
to start. As more states legalize both medicinal (33 states and
D.C.) and recreational (10 states and D.C.) cannabis, you can
expect to see an increasing number of pot-using patients. In 2017, 1 in
7 Americans had used marijuana, according to a report published in
the Annals of Internal Medicine. Overall, 14.6% said they had used
cannabis in the past year, while 8.7% said they had used the drug in
the past 30 days. While research on marijuana use and its effects dur-
ing surgery is limited, we know that cannabis has a number of phar-
High Time to Address Marijuana
The dangers of patients smoking cannabis before surgery.
Safety
Sheldon S. Sones, RPh, FASCP
• TOKING FOR TROUBLE Consuming cannabis before surgery can put patients at a higher risk for complications both during
and after the procedure.