People with post-traumatic stress disorder could possess more marijuana if recommended by a doctor under a change Colorado policymakers are considering.
The state already allows anyone 21 and over to possess one ounce of recreational marijuana at a time. But if PTSD is added to the state’s list of medical conditions for which pot can be prescribed, patients could possess up to two ounces.
Right now, no mental illnesses are on Colorado’s approved list of conditions for medical marijuana. If Colorado’s Board of Health approves the addition, the state would become the 10th to make PTSD a condition that may be legally treated with pot.
The board will consider the change this fall, after an advisory council of doctors and advocates for medical marijuana recommended it last week. It would allow more Colorado residents to be added to the state’s medical marijuana registry, which currently has about 114,000 people with conditions ranging from severe pain and nausea to cancer and AIDS.
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws legalizing medical marijuana, but besides Colorado, Washington is the only other state allowing recreational use.
The Washington legislature also considered — and passed — a measure this spring allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana for PTSD patients.
