Robert Celt
New Member
The number of Connecticut's medical marijuana patients is likely to grow more quickly with the addition Monday of six new conditions that can be treated with cannabis.
"I would expect there would be additional people," said state Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris on Tuesday. "We're pleased that more people with serious diseases will have access to medicine that can help them with pain, with symptoms and their underlying disease conditions."
The new conditions eligible for the program are sickle cell disease, post-laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy, severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), ulcerative colitis and complex regional pain syndrome.
The additions were the result of petitions from members of the public and a long process of public hearings, approval by the Department of Consumer Protection's Board of Physicians and then successfully passing the regulatory-review process, which involves more public hearings, vetting by the state attorney general and approval by the General Assembly's Regulation Review Committee.
There is also a bill in the Public Health Committee that would make it easier for hospice patients to access medical marijuana and legalize it for children who have certain diseases. Those would be limited to "terminal illness requiring end-of-life care, irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, severe epilepsy or uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder.
Minors would not be able to purchase smokeable or vaporizing marijuana, however. They would be limited to other forms, such as edibles, strips placed under the tongue and oils, Harris said.
The bill "also would make some important changes to step up research in Connecticut," he said. "We could become the focal point for research" into the drug on a national level.
As of March 13, 9,310 patients had registered with the state to buy medical marijuana from one of the six dispensaries, with three new dispensaries approved to open this summer, two in Milford and one in Waterbury. One on West River Road in Milford has drawn opposition from neighborhood residents.
There are 2,371 registered patients in New Haven County, 597 in Litchfield County and 544 in Middlesex County.
The 11 conditions approved in the 2012 law are cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Connecticut Patients Can Get Medical Marijuana For Six New Conditions
Author: Ed Stannard
Contact: The New Haven Register
Photo Credit: Jeff Chiu
Website: The New Haven Register
"I would expect there would be additional people," said state Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris on Tuesday. "We're pleased that more people with serious diseases will have access to medicine that can help them with pain, with symptoms and their underlying disease conditions."
The new conditions eligible for the program are sickle cell disease, post-laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy, severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), ulcerative colitis and complex regional pain syndrome.
The additions were the result of petitions from members of the public and a long process of public hearings, approval by the Department of Consumer Protection's Board of Physicians and then successfully passing the regulatory-review process, which involves more public hearings, vetting by the state attorney general and approval by the General Assembly's Regulation Review Committee.
There is also a bill in the Public Health Committee that would make it easier for hospice patients to access medical marijuana and legalize it for children who have certain diseases. Those would be limited to "terminal illness requiring end-of-life care, irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, severe epilepsy or uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder.
Minors would not be able to purchase smokeable or vaporizing marijuana, however. They would be limited to other forms, such as edibles, strips placed under the tongue and oils, Harris said.
The bill "also would make some important changes to step up research in Connecticut," he said. "We could become the focal point for research" into the drug on a national level.
As of March 13, 9,310 patients had registered with the state to buy medical marijuana from one of the six dispensaries, with three new dispensaries approved to open this summer, two in Milford and one in Waterbury. One on West River Road in Milford has drawn opposition from neighborhood residents.
There are 2,371 registered patients in New Haven County, 597 in Litchfield County and 544 in Middlesex County.
The 11 conditions approved in the 2012 law are cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Connecticut Patients Can Get Medical Marijuana For Six New Conditions
Author: Ed Stannard
Contact: The New Haven Register
Photo Credit: Jeff Chiu
Website: The New Haven Register