Pubdate: Mon, 13 Apr 2009
Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)
Copyright: 2009 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Contact: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SendLetter/
Website: http://www.santafenewmexican.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695
Author: Sue Vorenberg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

BOARD RECOMMENDS 8 NEW CONDITIONS FOR MEDICAL-MARIJUANA USE

The Department of Health's Medical Advisory Board wants to let more 
people with chronic conditions into the approved group of patients 
that can use marijuana for medical purposes.i?1/2

The board will ask Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil to add eight new 
conditions to 14 that have so far been included in the state Medical 
Cannabis Program.i?1/2

The program provides protection from state prosecution for approved 
users of medical marijuana. Patients must apply to the state to be 
eligible.i?1/2

The proposed new conditions are: chronic muscle inflammation 
accompanied by muscle weakness; severe osteoarthritis; rheumatoid 
arthritis; reactive arthritis; post-polio syndrome; Parkinson's 
disease; Alzheimer's; and severe chronic pain.i?1/2

Each condition must meet specific requirements to be eligible, and 
the board is planning to provide data to back up the suggestions in 
its final proposal, said Deborah Busemeyer, a spokeswoman for the 
department.i?1/2

"The secretary will be looking for scientific evidence that the 
conditions meet legal requirements," Busemeyer said. "That is, that 
they are chronic, debilitating conditions where the patient can find 
no relief elsewhere."i?1/2

Once the board finishes the proposal, Vigil will have 10 days to 
decide if he will approve some or all of the list.i?1/2

"It depends on what's in the recommendations," Busemeyer said. "Last 
time, though, he approved the majority of them, but not all of them."i?1/2

So far, the approved conditions are: cancer; glaucoma; multiple 
sclerosis; epilepsy; spinal-cord damage with intractable spasticity; 
HIV/AIDS; painful peripheral neuropathy; intractable nausea/vomiting; 
severe anorexia/cachexia; hepatitis-C infection currently receiving 
antiviral treatment; Crohn's disease; post-traumatic stress disorder; 
and Lou Gehrig's disease. Hospice patients are also eligible.i?1/2

There are 284 patients in the program so far.i?1/2

The state also recently approved a license for the first nonprofit 
group to produce and distribute marijuana to patients in the program. 
The group hasn't yet started distribution.i?1/2
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom