New York Expands Medical Marijuana Guidelines To Include Treating Chronic Pain
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York expanded its medical marijuana guidelines Thursday, permitting patients to use pot to treat chronic pain.
"The ability to provide access to patients who have all forms of pain, I think it's critical, and it's part of the mission of the program," said CEO of Columbia Care, a cannabis provider in Manhattan, Nicholas Vita.
While chronic pain might be seen as a catch-all, Vita doesn't expect recreational users to try to game the system, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"If somebody really wants to procure marijuana for recreational purposes, they can go to the black market," he said.
Currently, the ten qualifying conditions include cancer, HIV or AIDS, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neuropathy, inflammatory bowel disease and some spinal cord injuries.
The state will now sort out the specifics for adding chronic pain to the list.