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Anxiety disorders and tourette syndrome added to list of conditions approved for medical marijuana use

Morning Call - 7/11/2019

Jul. 11--Pennsylvanians with anxiety disorders and tourette syndrome will be able to get prescriptions for medical marijuana this summer, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced Thursday.

Starting July 20, doctors will be able will be able to approve patients with those conditions for medical marijuana use. Earlier this year, the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board recommended these conditions be included in a list of medical qualifications for marijuana.

Levine advised patients with anxiety disorders to seek out therapy and counseling primarily, and use medical marijuana for short term relief.

"Patients should consult with their health care provider to see if medical marijuana will be beneficial for them. I do not take this decision lightly, and do have recommendations for physicians, dispensary pharmacists and patients in terms of the use of medical marijuana to treat these conditions," Levine said. "For both conditions, medical marijuana is not first line treatment and should not replace traditional therapies but should be used in conjunction with them, when recommended by a physician."

There are nearly 111,000 patients and more than 1,600 physicians who are a part of the state's medical marijuana program.

Other conditions approved for medical marijuana use include chronic pain, crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, opioid use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

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