New Mexico Legislature Votes to Add 14 New Medical Marijuana Conditions

New Mexico Legislature Votes to Add 14 New Medical Marijuana Conditions

New Mexico legislation that would triple the number of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, and prevent parents from losing custody of their children for being a medical cannabis patient, has been passed by the state’s full legislature

House Bill 527 passed the House of Representatives on March 9th with a 45 to 16 vote, and was passed by the Senate on March 17th with a 28 to 9 vote. It now goes to Governor Susana Martinez for consideration.

The proposed law would add 14 new medical marijuana conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program, bringing the total number of conditions from 7, to 21. In addition, the measure “would not allow children to be removed and placed into state custody based solely on an individual’s participation in the medical cannabis program”, and “would also not allow someone to be precluded from receiving an anatomical gift due to that person’s participation in the program.”

Below are the 14 new medical marijuana conditions that would be added if House Bill 527 becomes law:

• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;
• Crohn’s disease;
• hepatitis C infection, for which the
  applicant or qualified patient provides proof that the
  applicant or patient is currently receiving antiviral
  treatment;
• Huntington’s disease;
• inclusion body myositis;
• inflammatory autoimmune-mediated
  arthritis;
• intractable nausea or vomiting;
• painful peripheral neuropathy;
• Parkinson’s disease;
• posttraumatic stress disorder;
• severe chronic pain;
• severe anorexia or cachexia;
• spasmotic torticollis;
• ulcerative colitis;

Below are the conditions that currently qualify an individual in New Mexico to become a legal medical marijuana patient (if they receive a recommendation from a physician and register with the state):

• cancer;
• glaucoma;
• multiple sclerosis;
• damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity;
• epilepsy;
• positive status for human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome;
• admitted into hospice care in accordance with rules promulgated by the department;