New Hampshire Governor Chris Sunnunu recently signed a bill that adds general anxiety disorder to the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions. The legislation was prompted by positive reports from PTSD patients suggesting that cannabis eased their anxiety symptoms. Here is my question: will other states follow suit?
Utah is a good example of why I am curious. According to Beehive Farmacy, a medical cannabis dispensary in Brigham City, PTSD is already on the state’s qualifying conditions list. General anxiety disorder is not. Utah is considered a pretty conservative state, yet state voters still approved medical cannabis nearly six years ago. I will not be surprised if general anxiety disorder eventually makes it to their list.
The states all have their own qualifying conditions lists. It is part of the deal. Lawmakers do not want cannabis to become the all-purpose cure for everything under the sun, so they tend to craft laws that are very specific about the conditions for which medical cannabis can be recommended. Over the years, most state lists have grown.
Cannabis and Anxiety
Adding anxiety to a qualifying conditions list is by no means a stretch. It is actually the next logical step after admitting that cannabis can help relieve PTSD symptoms. PTSD sufferers experience a range of symptoms that can be mild or severe. Anxiety is just one of them.
The thing that fascinates me is that lawmakers are so willing to put all their faith in anecdotal evidence in support of medical cannabis. I am not against anecdotal evidence, by the way. I believe it should be given as much weight as clinical evidence. But that has not historically been the case with traditional medicine.
For instance, the FDA would never approve a new prescription medication based solely on anecdotal evidence. Pharmaceutical companies need to go through a series of clinical trials to prove product safety and efficacy before getting approval. The process could take a decade or more to complete.
I dare say that most of the lawmakers who have jumped on board the medical cannabis train would agree that the FDA process for approving new drugs is appropriate. And yet they give the greenlight to medical cannabis without the same rigorous clinical testing.
The Political Power of Marijuana
Do not misunderstand the point I am making here. I am not against anecdotal evidence. I don’t believe the current FDA system for approving new therapies is a good one. It needs to be scrapped so that we can start over. My observations are really just to point out the political power marijuana holds.
It seems to me that lawmakers are jumping on the marijuana train largely for political purposes. It would be political suicide to go against the groundswell of support marijuana now enjoys across the country. It would be especially dangerous to fight against expanding medical cannabis applications. Doing so would paint a politician as cold, uncaring, and willing to let people suffer to satisfy their opposition to marijuana.
Patients Say It Works
The flip sign of all of this is that patients report success after starting a medical cannabis regimen. I’m good with that. If someone suffering from general anxiety disorder confine relief with regulated medical cannabis, I’m all for it.
I am also willing to bet that other states will add general anxiety disorder to their qualifying conditions lists. It is only a matter of time. The anecdotal evidence is there. It’s just a matter of framing it the right way and demonstrating to lawmakers that anxiety patients deserve access to medical cannabis. Proponents have already succeeded in New Hampshire.