Connecticut adds chronic pain to medical marijuana qualifying list

It took eight months, but Connecticut lawmakers have added chronic pain as a qualifying condition to use medical cannabis, which could significantly boost the state’s growing, $100 million-plus market.

The bipartisan legislative panel, according to the Connecticut Post, also agreed with a state Board of Physicians recommendation in late September 2019 to add Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The syndrome can cause pain in the joints or muscles.

The new regulations will be submitted to the secretary of state’s office, which will post the regulations online. At that point, the regulations will be final.

Chronic pain, which Connecticut defines as pain that has lasted at least six months, generally is a leading sales driver for MMJ markets.

The state’s 8-year-old medical marijuana program has more than 40,000 registered patients.

The Marijuana Business Factbook estimated that MMJ sales in Connecticut reached $100 million-$120 million in 2019, up from $75 million-$90 million in 2018.