PTSD And Depression Denied As Qualifying Conditions For Medical Marijuana In Arizona

[The General]

The Arizona Department of Health Services again denied adding PTSD, depression, and migraines to the list of medical conditions that qualify people for a medical-marijuana card. DHS Director Will Humble wrote on his blog that he "didn't approve the petitions because of the lack of published data regarding the risks and benefits of using Cannabis to treat or provide relief for the petitioned conditions."

As part of the state's Medical Marijuana Act, people can periodically petition to get new conditions to the list of qualifying ailments, but they don't make the list just by having a lot of public support. DHS has had the University of Arizona's College of Public Health analyze the available scientific studies regarding medical-marijuana treatments for the disorders, and pass that information back to DHS.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the medical advisory panel at DHS said there was no evidence to support adding the conditions, because "marijuana has not been subjected to any high quality, scientifically controlled testing in humans for any of the petitioned conditions . . . " Without the evidence, neither the panel nor the DHS director were in favor of adding the conditions to the list -- which was also the result the first time these ailments were proposed for the medical-marijuana program.

The panel's letter said it might review the petitions if new study results become available. "During the discussion, the Committee expressed that the growing body of evidence concerning the basic science of the potential effects of cannabinoids on PTSD patient raised valid clinical questions that need to be investigated," the letter says. "Given this evidence and that several states have Medical Marijuana provisions for PTSD patients, it is hoped that a randomized, controlled trial may be conducted to further investigate this question." The panel also opined that sufferers of migraines might be able to qualify for a medical-marijuana card based on chronic pain already being a qualifying condition. Petitions to add conditions to the medical-marijuana list will be accepted again from January 27 to 31.

News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Phoenixnewtimes.com
Author: Matthew Hendley
Contact: Phoenix About Us Phoenix New Times
Website: PTSD and Depression Denied as Qualifying Conditions for Medical Marijuana in Arizona

 

[mcloadie]

Re: PTSD And Depression Denied As Qualifying Conditions For Medical Marijuana In Ariz

Arizonas boards are still dominated by rednecks and people who are just ignorant. I was recently in a county office and they had flyers still claiming that cannabis is addictive. It amazes me how closed minded people can be. The trend in Arizona is this; This is a very poor state, the few people that do have money here control everything. I live in a town in which the old families with money have done everything in their power....successfully I might add, to keep the economy oppressed and stop growth. They do this because even if their children turn out to be non ambitious....they can still support them. In the case of the average families, their children must leave in order to make a living. The people here are so bent on keeping progress out, they voted to direct the freeway.....the lifeline of tourism....around the town, and successfully killed the town and future tourism. It's a small town anyway, but with the loss of that through traffic....the town died for all intents and purposes. Now there is a real article for ya...not parroting, or buying articles from some pot news agency. 420 needs people on the ground...not parrots!

 

[hempaz]

Re: PTSD And Depression Denied As Qualifying Conditions For Medical Marijuana In Ariz

$40 million dollars USD in taxable sales revenue @ $50 per eighth, and you're gonna deny access...to a class of patients who served our country and risked their lives so idiots like Humble can earn six-figure paychecks living off the public dole? That's it...Libertarians unite and kick those fossils out of our state house!