Yes, the Commissioner of Health may add other conditions to the list. In fact, the Commissioner of Health recently made a determination to add chronic pain as a serious condition. Effective March 22, 2017, patients with “any severe debilitating pain that a practitioner determines degrades health and functional capability; where the patient has contraindications, has experienced intolerable side effects, or has experienced failure of one or more previously tried therapeutic options” may qualify for medical marijuana, so long as “there is documented medical evidence of such pain having lasted three months or more beyond onset, or the practitioner reasonably anticipates such pain to last three months or more beyond onset.” 

In addition, scientists and physicians at the Department of Health have analyzed more than 2 dozen scientific studies on Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, dystonia, and rheumatoid arthritis. They also sought input from medical professionals and associations. Despite these comprehensive reviews, there is not enough scientific evidence at this time to support the inclusion of these additional conditions to the Medical Marijuana Program. However, the Commissioner has not stopped his review, and will evaluate new scientific evidence as soon as it becomes available. If sufficient scientific evidence becomes available to support the determination that medical marijuana will provide relief to patients suffering from any additional conditions, including these four, the Commissioner will act quickly to add them to the list of qualifying conditions.
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