PTSD now eligible for medical marijuana in NY

ALBANY — New Yorkers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder will now be able to use medical marijuana as a form of treatment.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Saturday that added PTSD to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana in New York.

“As of today, marijuana will be legalized if a doctor authorizes and finds the condition of PTSD for a veteran, and I think that can help thousands of veterans. It's something that we've been talking about for a long time, and I'm glad we're taking action,” Cuomo said.

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Often associated with military veterans, PTSD is medical disorder that can occur after a person experiences, witnesses or was threatened by something traumatic, life-threatening or violent, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, aggression, intrusive thoughts, distress and insomnia, the group said. It also can be found in firefighters, police officers, survivors of rape, domestic violence and accidents, experts said.

New York is now the 23rd state to allow PTSD to qualify to be treated with medical marijuana.

After a sluggish start, New York's medical marijuana program has expanded the conditions eligible to receive the drug and the number of medical professionals who can prescribe it. The program started in January 2016 and does not allow smokeable forms of the drug.

PTSD is now the 12th medical condition that is eligible to use medical marijuana in the state. The state Health Department added chronic pain to the list of illnesses in March.

Chronic pain led to a spike in the number of medical-marijuana patients in New York. The program has about 1,300 registered practitioners and 35,000 patients.

State officials estimated about 19,000 New Yorkers living with PTSD would benefit from the use of medical marijuana.

Currently, the FDA approves of two different drugs to treat PTSD.

Marijuana groups supported the change.

“No one should have to leave the state to have access to a treatment that might help them have a better quality of life,” said Landon Dais, the political director for the Marijuana Policy Project of New York, in a statement.

The measure was one of several bills Cuomo signed on Veterans Day. New York has about 770,000 veterans, Cuomo said.

Others included allowing combat veterans employed by the state to take additional days off to get health services; waiving application fees for veterans taking a civil service exam; and requiring the state to maintain a public list of all not-for-profit corporations that solicit funds on behalf of the armed forces.

Another bill signed into law directs the state to place a POW/MIA chair and plaque in the state Capitol.

Cuomo also announced that new service branch-specific license plates are available for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.

"It’s not only an honor for the veterans who would have the license plate, but something that all New Yorkers can appreciate and thank them for," Cuomo said.