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Six ailments now eligible for the state's medical marijuana program

The legislature's Regulation Review Committee has met to add new diseases to those approved for the state's medical marijuana program.  One of the seven proposed ailments was removed from regulations and the rest were approved by a narrow margin.  There are 14 members of the committee including co-chair New Milford Senator Clark Chapin, Danbury Representative Bob Godfrey, Southbury Representative Arthur O'Neill and Wilton Representative Tom O'Dea.

 

The vote was 8-5 to add to the list of eligible ailments.  They are: Sickle Cell disease, Post laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy (failed back surgery), severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ulcerative colitis and complex regional pain syndrome.  The five members in opposition were O'Dea, O'Neill, Representative Vincent Candelora, Senator Gayle Slossberg and Senator Paul Doyle.

 

Patients suffering from those diseases can obtain a prescription for medical marijuana.  There are currently six dispensaries in the state, including in Bethel.  Fabry disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes pain in extremities and kidney failure, was removed from the regulations.  The Board of Physicians approved it's inclusion on a 2-2 vote.  Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris decided to also forward it to the Committee following a public hearing. 

 

Legislation creating the Board of Physicians calls for eight members.  There are currently only five.  Harris has proposed legislation to the Public Health Committee getting rid of some certifications needed in order to be a member of the Board of Physicians.  The members would still have to be doctors with knowledge of the palliative use of medical marijuana.

 

Harris made his case to the committee for deciding to keep Fabry on the list of recommended ailments to be added to the regulation.  He says one of the two Board of Physician members opposed to adding Fabry is a medical marijuana researcher.  Harris says he depends heavily on research and doctors like him like to see double blind studies.  Because of federal regulations still classifying medical marijuana as a drug, there aren't many studies.

 

Harris agreed that the 2-2 vote was a split.  He compared this decision to a previous one rejecting Tourette Syndrome as an ailment to be treated by medical marijuana.  Tourette received a 0-4 vote.  While Harris has the authority under Connecticut law to go ahead and recommend it anyway, he chose not to because of the professional, expert recommendation of the Board.  Harris noted that he also looked at the reason each Board member voted the way they did when he decided to recommend Fabry for the list.

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Dave Rinelli

Local Headlines