Anxiety, Autism Rejected As Medical Marijuana Conditions In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — The State Medical Board of Ohio rejected petitions to add anxiety disorder and autism spectrum disorder to the list of conditions qualified for medical marijuana prescriptions. The board said it may consider adding the conditions to the program at a later date.

There are currently 21 conditions that qualify for medical marijuana prescriptions in Ohio, including HIV, Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia and more. Petitioners were hoping to add two additional conditions to the list.

The vote happened Wednesday evening and the State Medical Board rejected expansion of the state's list of qualifying medical conditions. The next chance to petition the board will be November 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.

The vote on the addition of anxiety and autism to the state's qualifying conditions list was delayed in June. The Nationwide Children's Hospital opposed the expansion of the qualifying conditions list because of a lack of decisive research on the topic, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Ohio's fledgling medical marijuana program opened to patients in late January. The program is still in the process of awarding dispensary certificates to companies around the state.