Post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia could be added to the list of ailments that can be treated with medical marijuana in Michigan.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, a state board heard overwhelming testimony Thursday in favor of expanding the number of illnesses that qualify.
Melody Karr says doctors have told her cannabis might not be helpful for the PTSD she’s suffered since her husband’s grisly suicide. They said side-effects such as forgetfulness could interfere with talk-therapy.
“The problem is not that I can’t think or talk about my post-traumatic stress and the issues related to it,” she says. “The problem is that I can’t stop thinking or talking about it.”
Earlier this year, a similar board approved marijuana use for PTSD. But that board was dissolved by the state because it said its members were not properly appointed.
The new board will make its recommendations on PTSD and insomnia after it’s done collecting public comment next month.