On Monday Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 17 into law. This new bill allows patients suffering from PTSD to receive a doctor’s OK to use medical marijuana to treat their symptoms.
Colorado doctors could begin recommending medical marijuana for treatment of PTSD in as soon as a week.
PTSD is the first new qualifying condition since 2001 when the state’s medical marijuana law was implemented. The eight other qualifying conditions are cancer, HIV or AIDS, glaucoma, cachexia, seizures, persistent muscle spasms, severe nausea, and severe pain.
Veteran groups have been battling to get PTSD approved as a qualifying condition for many years, but not without opposition. Due to concerns regarding the amount of adequate research on the health benefits and impediments of using medical marijuana to treat PTSD, many members of Colorado’s medical and psychiatric communities have expressed apprehension.
Most of this concern is directed towards children under the age of 18 diagnosed with PTSD. To combat these concerns the bill was amended, requiring a person under the age of 18 diagnosed with PTSD to get a recommendation from two physicians before they are permitted to use medical marijuana for treatment. These physicians must be either a pediatrician, board-certified family physician or board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who is part of the family’s medical care plan.
Proponents of the bill argue medical marijuana will be more cost effective than patients buying recreational marijuana as a treatment. Having a medical card also provides easier access to a wide range of nonpsychoactive CBD products.
Veterans with PTSD risk losing their benefits should they use recreational marijuana.
This story is still developing, check back for updates.
Schnawsberry on June 6th, 2017 at 20:34 UTC »
Unfortunately, none of this really matters at a lot of places of employment. I live in WA and know of several companies who's policy is still to drug test employees and do not allow marijuana use.
Asi9_42ne on June 6th, 2017 at 19:55 UTC »
TotallyACP on June 6th, 2017 at 19:06 UTC »
That took longer than it should have.