Will PTSD Be Added to Colorado’s Qualifying Conditions?

By New Frontier Analysts

Last fall, Coloradan legislators decided not to extend the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana prescriptions, which under current law, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not covered. Yet after months of lobbying efforts from medical marijuana advocates, an appeal was filed late last June to allow for PTSD to be added to the state’s qualifying conditions for medical cannabis.

Although Colorado was a trailblazer for the cannabis industry, for both medicinal and recreational markets, the state is lagging behind for providing medical cannabis benefits to residents who suffer from PTSD. Colorado is one of the few medical marijuana states where PTSD is not listed as qualifying condition.

Currently, 17 states, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, have PTSD listed as qualifying condition for medical cannabis prescriptions. Since the inauguration of the medical marijuana program in Colorado, no new qualifying conditions have been added to the state’s list, although the original law stipulates that conditions can be added.

While it is unknown whether or not PTSD will be added to the state’s qualifying conditions, it is recognized that there is a growing PTSD population within United States. Year after year, more and more Americans and Coloradans are diagnosed with chronic PTSD and although condition can be treated with more traditional methods, some patients prefer using marijuana to treat the debilitating ailment.

Should PTSD be added to the state’s qualifying conditions, it could open the door for more states voting on medical marijuana to follow the trend and add PTSD to their lists, which will ultimately expand their respective medical marijuana programs.

From a national perspective, it looks as though the federal government’s authority will continue a laid-back attitude concerning state’s ability to regulate and tax cannabis for medicinal and adult use markets. If an additional state allows prescription cannabis to treat PTSD more research can be conducted and may possibly lead to federal recognition of the benefits cannabis provides for certain conditions, like PTSD.

New Frontier Analysts

Our data scientists drill deep with rigorous analytics to provide insight into key trends and market opportunities. We track the state of cannabis and its regulation in all major legal markets.