New York Adds Pain Management to Approved Conditions
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he state of New York has added pain management to its list of approved qualifying conditions for medical cannabis treatment.
The new expansion allows for cannabis to be recommended instead of opioid painkillers as a treatment for acute pain. It also allows for substance use disorder treatment providers to recommend medical cannabis to help patients manage pain and avoid abusing deadly opioid painkillers.
“People seeking treatment for substance use disorder and those afflicted with chronic pain must have access to the best array of medical options. By adding substance use disorder and pain management to the list of conditions eligible for treatment with medical marijuana, we will be allowing New Yorkers to take advantage of a harm reduction technique that can be used as an alternative to highly-addictive opioids,” said Linda Rosenthal, chair of the State Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
The opioid epidemic has reached record levels in New York, with opioid pain reliever deaths significantly higher than deaths from heroin overdoses. The amount of deaths from opioids excluding heroin nearly doubled between 2015 and 2016, with over 2,600 deaths in the state in 2016.
Earlier this year the New York State Department of Health added opioid replacement and opioid-use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. With Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature this week, the change in policy is law and physicians can now legally write the prescription. Physicians must determine that the patient’s pain level impact their functionality and health before prescribing.
“In this battle against the opioid epidemic, it is critical that we use every means at our disposal to prevent the unnecessary prescription of these dangerous and addictive painkillers,” Gov. Cuomo said. “Adding these conditions to the list of those approved for management with medical marijuana will help reduce the risk of addiction and provide suffering New Yorkers the relief they need.”
