New Mexico health officials expanded the list of qualifying conditions for the state’s medical cannabis program, including opioid-use disorder, which could potentially mean expanded sales for MMJ businesses in the state.
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Three degenerative neurological disorders
First-year Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a former state health secretary, campaigned on a pledge to open up the medical marijuana program to people struggling with opioid use and addiction after the previous administration rejected petitions for the change.
In 2017, New Mexico had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths west of Tennessee, at 24.8 per 100,000 people.
At least eight other states – from Maine to California – along with Washington DC, already recognize opioid dependency as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use, either explicitly or within the bounds of significant medical conditions, according to Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project.
– Associated Press
