Does Using Marijuana Prohibit you from Donating Blood

One of the biggest things that occur when using cannabis, is that it can affect certain things. One of those things is blood donation. When you donate blood, you may wonder if you can donate it.  While we don’t really know if the blood is different, currently, you’re allowed to donate blood so long as you’re not high when donating.

Cannabis when Donating Blood 

Right now, the US needs platelets or blood once every couple of seconds, and 117 million need blood all over the world every single year.  Donating blood is integral to saving lives, which is why if you smoke marijuana, you can still donate blood. 

Currently, the red cross will not test blood donations for any presence involving THC. Right now, they also do not believe cannabis consumption will cause an issue with blood donation, so long as you’re able to comprehend and don’t have a memory that's impaired. Even those who use a lot of THC and concentrates can still dive out blood, so long as they’re not actually high during the process. This also applies to people who use synthetic weed.

There is also no data that says how long a person needs to wait between donations. This is because cannabis is fast, and it usually peaks around 15 minutes after consumption for most people. After a few hours, the compound will leave the bloodstream, which is why they never stop you from donating blood even if you do use a toke. 

What about plasma 

Another thing that people wonder is blood plasma, which makes up over half of the volume of blood, and is vital for blood volume, blood pressure, and the pH of blood. 

One thing that can happen is that if you don’t have the plasma proteins, then you’ll have issues with immunity. This is valuable to various health treatments, especially trauma, cancer, and if you have disorders involving the liver or clotting, and the donations are super important. 

They need around 10,000 plasma units on the daily, and transfusions tend to be lifesaving. Those who use both CBD and cannabis are allowed to donate the plasma that’s there, and it offers the same freedom that blood normally does, and the only rule is you should not show up high.

What disqualifies you then? 

What disqualifies you from this?  Well, you should minimally be about 110 pounds, and if you’re an adult, you must weigh over 130 pounds, or sometimes more. The donors also must not have viruses that are spread via the blood, so as long as you don’t have HIV or AIDS, you’re good to go.

Some cancers and sometimes a history of those may also stop you from donating blood. You also cannot donate blood if you’ve had a transfusion within a few months. You also cannot donate blood if you’re nursing or are currently pregnant. Finally, you also must not have iron that’s low, ill, or are on antibiotics. 

There might be other qualifications that may need to also be in place. The best way to figure it out is to go in, talk to the people there and figure it out. But the good thing about this, is that while cannabis is something that may disqualify you from other things, donating blood is certainly not one of them. So go ahead, if you've been interested in donating blood but like to use the herb, go on ahead. They may ask you, but if you’re honest, and so long as you’re not high, you’ll be good to go, and be able to donate blood.