Colorado lawmakers pass bill adding PTSD to MMJ conditions list

The Colorado Legislature has approved a bill that would add post-traumatic stress disorder to its list of medical ailments that qualify patients for medical marijuana, a move that could provide a shot in the arm to the state’s MMJ industry.

The state Senate signed off on the measure Tuesday, and the bill now heads to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has not yet indicated if he will sign it into law.

If Hickenlooper does sign it, the move could result in a boost in the state’s MMJ patient registry, though many PTSD patients in the state already rely on recreational marijuana shops for their medicine.

A number of military veterans campaigned heavily in 2012 in advance of the state’s vote on legalizing recreational, and one of the most publicized first rec purchases on Jan. 1, 2014, in Denver was by a veteran who suffers from PTSD.

At least 15 other MMJ states already have PTSD on their lists of qualifying conditions, according to the Associated Press.

– Staff and wire reports