Daniel Zampogna, Pennlive
Pa.
Gov. Tom Wolf signing the Medical Marijuana Bill on Sunday, April 17,
2015. Medical marijuana went on sale about two years later. (Daniel
Zampogna, PennLive/file)
Pennsylvania
legalized medical marijuana in 2016, allowing it to be used to treat 17
medical conditions. That list has now grown to include 23 conditions,
as listed below.
Keep in mind that someone with one of the conditions
must have it certified by a doctor who is state-approved. Then they can
obtain a card enabling them to buy medical marijuana at a medical
marijuana dispensary.
Here are the 23 conditions and background information on each:
1. Anxiety disorders
This
newly-added condition went into affect July 12, 2019. It’s expected to
greatly expand the number of people who qualify for treatment with
medical marijuana, given that nearly 20 percent of Americans have an
anxiety disorder. For anxiety, medical marijuana “is not first line
treatment and should not replace traditional therapies but should be
used in conjunction with them, when recommended by a physician,” said
Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health.
2. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease
Commonly
referred to as ALS, it’s a disease that interferes with the brain’s
ability to communicate with the muscles, gradually causing paralysis.
3. Autism
A
definition from an organization says autism “refers to a range of
conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive
behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique
strengths and differences.”
4. Cancer
Medical
marijuana can stimulate the appetite, helping to offset the lack of
appetite and resulting weakness often experienced by people undergoing
cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. Cancer patients
also seek medical marijuana for pain relief.
HAR
Organic Remedies Dispensary in Hampden Township opens to patients, February 16, 2018. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com HAR
5. Crohn’s Disease
According
to the Mayo Clinic, "Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease.
It causes inflammation of your digestive tract, which can lead to
abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of
the digestive tract in different people."
6. Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
This refers to the kind of damage that can result from injury or accident.
7. Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
These are defined as abnormal, involuntary, uncontrollable movements.
8. Epilepsy
According
to the Epilepsy Foundation, "Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the
hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures. A person is
diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures (or one
unprovoked seizure with the likelihood of more) that were not caused by
some known and reversible medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or
extremely low blood sugar."
HAR
Medical marijuana products on display at a medical marijuana dispensary in Pennsylvania.
9. Glaucoma
According
to the National Eye Institute, "Glaucoma is a group of diseases that
damage the eye’s optic nerve and can result in vision loss and
blindness. However, with early detection and treatment, you can often
protect your eyes against serious vision loss."
10. HIV and AIDS
According
to Medline Plus, "HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms
your immune system by destroying the white blood cells that fight
infection. This puts you at risk for serious infections and certain
cancers. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the
final stage of infection with HIV."
11. Huntington’s Disease
According
to the Huntington's Disease Society of America, "Huntington’s disease
is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of
nerve cells in the brain.
It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental
abilities during their prime working years and has no cure.
Huntington's is known as the quintessential family disease because every
child of a parent with Huntington's has a 50/50 chance of carrying the
faulty gene.
Today, there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans
and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease.
12. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
According
to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Inflammatory
bowel disease is a term for two conditions, Crohn’s disease and
ulcerative colitis, that are characterized by chronic inflammation of
the gastrointestinal tract, or GI tract. This prolonged inflammation
results in damage to the GI tract.
HAR
These are some of the medical marijuana products on sale in Pennsylvania. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com HAR
13. Intractable Seizures
These
are seizures that can’t be controlled through normal treatments or
available medications. Some research shows that children with
intractable seizures have benefitted from medical marijuana. In fact,
parents of children with intractable seizures were a major force in
persuading Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana.
14. Multiple Sclerosis
According
to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis, or MS, occurs when the immune
system attacks the protective sheath, myelin, that covers nerve fibers
and causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the
body. Eventually, the disease can cause the nerves themselves to
deteriorate or become permanently damaged.
15. Neurodegenerative diseases
According
to the National Institutes of Health, “Neurodegenerative diseases occur
when nerve cells in the brain or peripheral nervous system lose
function over time and ultimately die.” Alzheimer’s disease is one of
the most common.
16. Neuropathies (nerve damage)
According
to the National Institutes of Health, neuropathy, commonly called
peripheral neuropathy, is a condition that develops as a result of
damage to the peripheral nervous system — the vast communications
network that transmits information between the central nervous system
(the brain and spinal cord) and every other part of the body.
Symptoms
can range from numbness or tingling, to pricking sensations, or muscle
weakness.
HAR
Some of the medical marijuana products available in Pennsylvania.
17. Opioid use disorder
In
May, 2018, Pennsylvania became the first state to allow medical
marijuana as a possible treatment for opioid addiction. It’s available
“if all other treatment fails, or if a physician recommends that it be
used in conjunction with traditional therapies.”
18. Parkinson’s disease
According
to the Mayo Clinic, "Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of
the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually,
sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But
while a tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson's disease,
the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement."
19. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD
According
to the National Institute of Mental Health, “PTSD is a disorder that
develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or
dangerous event.”
Veterans who believe their PTSD, and particularly the
accompanying anxiety, can benefit from medical marijuana, were another
strong force in persuading Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize medical
marijuana.
20. Severe chronic or
intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable
pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy
is contraindicated or ineffective
This
refers to chronic, severe pain. Some doctors and researchers believe
that medical marijuana can provide a highly-effective and non-addictive
alternative to opioid painkillers.
HAR
Before
it can be sold, medical marijuana sold in Pennsylvania must be tested
at a state-certified lab. Photo shows. Keystone State Testing in Lower
Paxton Township in Dauphin County.
21. Sickle Cell Anemia
According
to MedlinePlus, "Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which [the] body
produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. The cells are shaped like a
crescent or sickle.
They don't last as long as normal, round red blood
cells. This leads to anemia [where the blood has lowered ability to
carry oxygen]. The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels,
blocking blood flow. This can cause pain and organ damage."
22. Terminal illness
Generally defined as illnesses considered untreatable or incurable.
23. Tourette syndrome
According
to the Mayo Clinic, Tourette syndrome “is a disorder that involves
repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily
controlled. For instance, you might repeatedly blink your eyes, shrug
your shoulders or blurt out unusual sounds or offensive words.”
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