Medical Board rejects medical marijuana for autism, anxiety

The State Medical Board of Ohio this week opted against allowing Ohio medical marijuana for people who suffer from anxiety and autism spectrum disorder  (Source: “Board rejects Ohio medical marijuana for autism and anxiety, sides with traditional medicine,” Associated Press via Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 11, 2019).

The public will get another shot at trying to add ailments to the list of qualifying conditions when the next window for petitions opens, Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, said Dr. Michael Schottenstein, president of the medical board.

However, Schottenstein has also said that once a condition is added to the list, it cannot be removed. That’s the medical board’s reading of the state’s medical marijuana law.

The board hasn’t asked the legislature to change or clarify the law to give it the power to remove a condition once cannabis is proven ineffective or harmful for it.