State Should Let Migraine Sufferers Toke Up: Judge

State officials should consider letting migraine sufferers toke up with prescription pot, a Cook County judge says.

A ruling by Cook County Circuit Associate Judge Rita Novak overturns the decision by the Illinois Department of Public Health to keep migraines off the list of ailments that can be treated by medical marijuana, the Chicago Tribune reports.

While the judge is not forcing officials to include migraines under the state's medical marijuana umbrellas, she is ordering them to re-examine the evidence provided by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board and reconsider their decision, the report stated.

Novak's decision comes on the heels of a ruling that ordered the state to include post-traumatic stress disorder of pot-friendly disorders, the report stated. Although that ruling was considered a bit of a rubber stamp—Gov. Bruce Rauner had already decided to sign a new law that added PTSD and terminal illness to the medical marijuana list, according to the Tribune—it was the beginning of the state judiciary showing inclusiveness when it comes to what can be treated by state-sanctioned weed.

Currently, Illinois has approved close to 50 conditions that can treated with medical marijuana, ranging from cancer and spinal cord injury to glaucoma and Crohn's disease. The state also has almost 40 dispensaries—including North Shore locations in Deerfield, Highland Park and Evanston—where patients can fill their pot prescriptions.

More via the Chicago Tribune

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Learn how to create a Patch user account
• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Live Traffic and Transit Updates