Three more illnesses were approved for treatment with medical marijuana in Ohio, potentially expanding the scope of the state’s MMJ market.
The State Medical Board of Ohio added the following medical conditions to its list of qualifying conditions, according to a Wednesday announcement:
- Huntington’s disease.
- Terminal illness.
- Spasticity.
However, the board rejected petitions to add several other medical conditions to the list: autism spectrum disorder, restless leg syndrome, panic disorder with agoraphobia and spasms.
There are now 25 qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana in Ohio, including AIDS or an HIV-positive status, cancer, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Would-be medical marijuana patients in Ohio must have one of the qualifying conditions and receive a recommendation from a board-certified physician.
The board added cachexia, or wasting syndrome, to the list of qualifying conditions in 2020, the first time an illness was added since the MMJ program was launched in 2019.
The next submission period for new qualifying medical conditions is scheduled for Nov. 1-Dec. 31.
Ohio recently approved licenses for up to 73 new medical marijuana dispensaries across the state.
The MJBizFactbook projects that annual MMJ sales in Ohio will total $350 million-$425 million in 2021.
