Legislators move to add PTSD, glaucoma to qualifying medical marijuana conditions

PIERRE — Medical conditions that qualify South Dakotans to legally use marijuana could be expanding to include ailments like Crohn’s Disease, glaucoma and post traumatic stress disorder.

When voters in 2020 directed the state health office to establish a medical marijuana program, the new statute came with broad language that left many doctors and physicians uncertain about what medical conditions merited a recommendation for cannabis use.

So a medical marijuana program oversight committee comprised of medical professionals, public safety officials and lawmakers is recommending the Legislature explicitly list eight diseases and disorders in statute that marijuana could effectively treat.

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