New Qualifying Conditions Established for Michigan Medical Cannabis Patients
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulations (LARA) announced on July 9 that Michigan residents who have been diagnosed with any of the 11 new qualifying conditions can now apply for their Michigan Medical Marihuana Registry Identification Card. The newly approved conditions become effective immediately for medical cannabis patients.
After receiving citizens comments in April and May, the Medicinal Marihuana Review Panel made its recommendations regarding new allowances. LARA Director Shelly Edgerton noted that the chosen medical conditions should be covered by the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008. “With the changes in state law to include marihuana-infused products, and the advancement of marihuana research, and upon the recommendation of the panel members, I’ve added these eleven conditions to the approved list,” Edgerton said. “I’d like to thank the members of the review panel for their hard work in discussing these petitions and making their recommendations.”
According to the LARA press release, the 11 new conditions are as follows: Arthritis, autism, chronic pain, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s, obsessive-compulsive disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, Tourette’s syndrome and ulcerative colitis.
Although this is a great step forward for Michigan’s existing medical cannabis program, many other medical conditions were considered and rejected. According to Michigan Live, people who suffer from anxiety, asthma, depression, diabetes, organ transplants, brain injury, panic attacks, non-severe and non-chronic pain, social anxiety disorder, gastric ulcer and schizophrenia will not be able to legally treat their conditions with medical cannabis medicine.
Patients applying for their identification card should be aware that only one complete application should be sent, duplicate applications or extra documents submitted may cause the application to be denied or delayed in the process. Applicants should also only submit their application to Michigan Medical Marihuana Program (MMMP) and should not allow third parties or other individuals to submit their paperwork, which will enable patients to determine if their application was properly submitted.
Additional questions regarding the application and registration process can be obtained by contacting the MMMP by either reviewing the FAQs on the MMMP website, emailing LARA-BMMR-MMMPINFO@michigan.gov or by simply calling (517) 284-6400.
