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The Connecticut Board of Physicians recommended adding three new "debilitating conditions" to the state's medical marijuana program.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection will now seek to add to the afflictions "through the regulation process," the state said.
“The Board of Physicians always provides thorough and valuable advice to our team. ... I will be following the recommendations of the Board as we move into the regulation drafting process,” said Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull. She also thanked those who testified about the debilitating effects of the diseases because “our program is at its best when we hear ... from patients whose lives can be improved by this medication.”
These three afflictions were recommended for approval:
- Hydrocephalus (a brain blockage) with intractable headache
- Intractable migraines (severe headache that don't respond to regular treatments)
- Trigeminal neuralgia (facial nerve pain)
There were not recommended for inclusion by the Board of Physicians:
- Anxiety disorders
- Menieres disease
A regulation will be drafted, and another pubic hearing and comment period will be held. The state attorney general will review the proposal, which requires the approval of the Regulation Review Committee of the General Assembly.
Connecticut legalized medical marijuana five years ago.
There are currently 18,379 medical marijuana patients, and 697 physicians registered with the state’s program. Today, there are 22 conditions that qualify adult patients for medical marijuana, including cancer and glaucoma, and six conditions that qualify patients under 18, including cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis.
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