Based on a report from the state Department of Health, Pennsylvania might expand its current lineup of severe medical conditions that ultimately qualify patients for a medical marijuana program. In November, the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board permitted a series of procedures that will cover amendments to the list of conditions, as explained by spokesman Nate Wardell. In a matter of weeks, the Advisory Board will start accepting petitions to increase the list of qualifying conditions, which currently include cancer, chronic pain, and terminal illnesses (among 18 other health problems). Ultimately, the final approval should be met on February 1, 2019. Overall, this movement has gained support from individuals like Dr. Roxanne Rick, who explained that some patients are seeking self-medication for conditions that are not on the Pennsylvania list. Let’s take a closer look and see what else the state has in store.
More Patients Need Additional Help
Recently, Dr. Elizabeth Spaar commented about the need to increase current conditions. As part of her practice, she treats patients suffering from autism, addiction, and autoimmune diseases and believes that many people who have called her office definitely meet the qualifications to get medical marijuana. Unfortunately, their conditions are not on the Pennsylvania list. Although cannabis has been proven to be a helpful alleviant for anxiety, Dr. Spaar commented about how she is frustrated that she cannot prescribe this drug to these patients.
Give the Decision to the Doctors
During the conversation, Dr. Spaar explained that the decision should be placed in the hands of Pennsylvania doctors, not the authority of a strict list of conditions. Rather than restraining doctors, she says, there should be autonomy to decision-making in the medical field, with doctors getting as big a say as the lawmakers. Dr. John Metcalf (medical director of Releaf Specialists, a cannabis clinic) has wholeheartedly agreed on this decision, claiming that doctors should have a say in the matter. Expanding the current list of medical conditions is, as the professionals put it, a step in the right direction towards this freer system.
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