Delaware Senate Approves Bill to Help PTSD Patients
This past Thursday, the Delaware Senate took a major step forward for medical cannabis patients and passed a bill that will allow easier access for PTSD victims.
According to USA Today, the bill was only passed after a provision was added that removed anxiety from the list of qualifying conditions. The bill was unanimously approved, although two days ago it failed to pass due to one individual voting against it (an individual who eventually changed their decision, creating a unanimous vote). The next step is for the bill to pass the House of Representatives.
Now, those who suffer from PTSD will be able to get a card from their regular doctor. Before this, a psychiatric evaluation was required before medical cannabis would be given to a patient. Veterans pushed for this bill, claiming that there were not enough psychiatrists available in Delaware to see patients and get them approved and moving forward with their cards in a timely manner.
The language that was removed from this bill allowed for “debilitating anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety” to be treated with medical cannabis. That phrasing was removed by Senator Margaret Rose Henry, who is backing the bill, in order to gain a unanimous vote and get the measure moving forward.
This was because the Medical Society of Delaware and Delaware Psychiatric Association opposed having anxiety listed as a qualifying condition. They felt that research so far shows cannabis can sometimes strengthen the effects of anxiety, and therefore were not comfortable with it being listed as a qualifying condition. “What this bill is about is whether or not a psychiatrist should be the one that makes the diagnosis,” stated Senator Stephanie Hansen, another Democratic senator who backed the bill.
Although anxiety was removed from the language of the bill, this is a positive step forward for those who wish to use medical cannabis to tread their qualifying PTSD conditions.
