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Anxiety is now the number one health condition that Pennsylvania patients use medical marijuana to treat, according to a new study.<\/p>\n
Relying on data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, researchers with Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pittsburgh assessed trends in more than 1.7 million medical cannabis certifications from November 2017 to December 2023.<\/p>\n
Of that group, about 1.6 million registered patients were recommended medical marijuana for anxiety disorders, the study, which was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found.<\/p>\n
By contrast, 91,759 people received cannabis certifications for chronic pain, 21,671 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 28,991 for other conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found that adding anxiety disorders as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis in Pennsylvania was associated with an overall increase in certifications, with anxiety disorders rapidly becoming the most common qualifying condition, comprising 60.26 percent of certifications since it was added\u201d in July 2019, the study authors wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough certifications for chronic pain and PTSD still increased, the percentage of total certifications using each of these qualifying conditions decreased by roughly one third after anxiety was added,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
The study also speculated that the increased anxiety-related recommendations could be linked to stress during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis study illustrates how adding anxiety as a qualifying condition affects the overall count of cannabis certifications and alters the distribution of qualifying conditions,\u201d they wrote. \u201cThese results are limited to Pennsylvania. We used Pennsylvania data for our analysis because it is the only state, to date and to our knowledge, that has released certification-level data on medical cannabis qualifying conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough Pennsylvania does have the second-largest medical cannabis program in the United States, findings may not generalize to other states,\u201d the study<\/a> concludes. \u201cFurthermore, the data do not include patient information, limiting analysis of recertifications and differences by demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n Coleman Drake, an associate professor at Pitt\u2019s School of Public Health, caveated in a statement<\/a>\u00a0that adding anxiety to the state\u2019s medical cannabis program \u201cmay inadvertently signal to patients that cannabis is effective for treating it, despite the lack of evidence, which is concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 This comes in the background of Pennsylvania lawmakers continuing their years-long debate over whether to legalize adult-use marijuana, as most of its surroundings states have done.<\/p>\n Bipartisan Pennsylvania senators introduced a bill last week to create a new regulatory body in the state that would begin overseeing medical cannabis while preparing to eventually handle the adult-use market as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 52-page legislation is being sponsored by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), along with 16 other members from both parties. While it wouldn\u2019t legalize adult-use cannabis as the lead sponsor has supported, it would establish a regulatory infrastructure that could be used to oversee such a program.<\/p>\n Laughlin, who has sponsored legalization bills in the past, previewed the new measure in May, writing that Pennsylvania should first take steps to\u00a0make sure the state is \u201cready to act when legalization becomes law\u201d<\/a>\u00a0by establishing a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) now.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Sen. Shariff Street (D), one of the original cosponsors of the new bill, said last month that he was working with bipartisan and bicameral lawmakers to develop a passable marijuana legalization measure<\/a> as the legislature approached its budget deadline\u2014telling supporters at the time that \u201cwe\u2019re getting close\u201d and they shouldn\u2019t \u201cease up\u201d on the fight.<\/p>\n Street thanked his bipartisan colleagues in the House\u2014including Reps. Emily Kinkead (D), Abby Major (R) and Amen Brown (D),\u00a0who have championed their own legalization proposals<\/a>\u2014for working with the Senate \u201cin a collaborative way.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) recently said marijuana legalization would not be included in the 2026 budget<\/a>\u00a0as lawmakers approached the deadline he expected they would miss. But Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is still holding out hope that negotiators can \u201cget it done.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether Pennsylvania legislators will advance legalization this session remains to be seen. But two Democratic lawmakers\u2014Street and Rep. Rick Krajewski (D)\u2014recently said\u00a0they\u2019re aiming to reach a compromise and pass reform legislation<\/a>\u00a0before the budget deadline.<\/p>\n Also, in May, Sen. Marty Flynn (D)\u00a0announced his intent to file a new bill to legalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0in the state, calling on colleagues to join him on the measure.<\/p>\n While the House legislation Krajewski sponsored alongside Rep. Dan Frankel (D) was rejected in a Senate committee following its expedited passage through the House along party lines, Street said he\u2019s \u201ccautiously optimistic we\u2019re going to be able to revive the bill and amend it and move forward with a work product that allows us to get a bill on the governor\u2019s desk and realize revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the Senate committee vote, lawmakers from both chambers who support legalization have been\u00a0trading criticisms about each other\u2019s roles in the stalled push to end prohibition<\/a>.<\/p>\n Krajewski, for example, recently wrote in a Marijuana Moment op-ed that\u00a0Senate Republicans who killed his House-passed cannabis legalization bill are \u201cstuck in their prohibitionist views of the past\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and are \u201cout of touch with the will of our Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to that vote, Pennsylvania\u2019s Republican attorney general said that while he doesn\u2019t currently support the House-passed marijuana legalization bill,\u00a0he\u2019s open to changing his mind about the policy change<\/a>\u00a0after continuing to review the details.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, a recent poll found that Pennsylvania voters say they\u00a0favor a model where cannabis is sold by licensed private businesses<\/a>, rather than through a system of state-run stores.<\/p>\n The governor has repeatedly called for adult-use marijuana legalization<\/a>. However, he hasn\u2019t endorsed the specific idea of having a state-controlled model.<\/p>\n GOP lawmaker Major\u2014who is\u00a0sponsoring another forthcoming legalization bill<\/a>\u00a0that envisions a traditional private sales model alongside Democrat Kinkead\u2014said during the House floor debate on HB 1200 that she stands opposed to the competing bill, emphasizing that she disagrees with the state-run stores proposal.<\/p>\n While Democrats control the House and governor\u2019s office, they will still need to reach a deal with the GOP-controlled Senate to effectuate change. And in addition to the conflicting perspectives among pro-legalization legislators, another potential barrier to reform is exactly that political dynamic.<\/p>\n Regardless of which direction Pennsylvania lawmakers do\u2014or don\u2019t\u2014go on marijuana legalization this session, a survey released in April shows\u00a0a majority of adults in the state support the reform<\/a>\u2014and opposition to the policy change has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the last decade.<\/p>\n Kinkead has made the case in another recent interview that legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania will\u00a0help the state mitigate public health and safety concerns<\/a>\u00a0associated with the illicit market, including the fact that unregulated products can be laced with fentanyl.<\/p>\n The lawmaker\u00a0previously introduced a separate bipartisan marijuana legalization bill<\/a>, alongside 15 other cosponsors, last September. It did not advance, however.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Laughlin recently called for the\u00a0creation of a state \u201clegacy\u201d fund, using tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales<\/a>\u00a0and gaming to make long-term investments in the Commonwealth\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n The senator argued that, beyond using any resulting tax revenue to fund day-to-day projects and public services, the state should earmark a portion of those tax dollars for a fund to \u201cprovide a sustainable source of prosperity that lasts for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Another GOP Pennsylvania senator, Sen. Gene Yaw (R),\u00a0is backing the push to legalize marijuana in the commonwealth<\/a>, pointing out that, historically, prohibition \u201chas not turned out well,\u201d noting the country\u2019s experience with alcohol criminalization.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) recently said that\u00a0Democrats are ready to pass a marijuana legalization bill this session<\/a>, but that the party \u201cwill need Republican support\u201d to get the job done\u2014adding that it will be a \u201cheavy lift.\u201d<\/p>\n Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, owing in large part to GOP opposition. But not all Republican members are against the policy change\u2014and one recently said she felt her party should\u00a0seize the \u201copportunity to snatch\u201d the issue from Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately in March, the Pennsylvania House approved a bill sponsored by Frankel that\u2019s meant to\u00a0strengthen safety standards and oversight of the state\u2019s medical marijuana program<\/a>\u00a0as lawmakers work to advance adult-use legalization.<\/p>\n While Pennsylvania\u2019s medical cannabis program was enacted nearly a decade ago, lawmakers say the measure, which now heads to the Senate, is necessary to improve testing compliance, product audits and lab inspections, among other aspects of the industry.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would allow farmers and other small agriculture operators to\u00a0sell marijuana they cultivate to existing growers and and processors<\/a>\u00a0if the state moves to legalize adult-use cannabis.<\/p>\n Separately, an independent Pennsylvania agency is\u00a0projecting more tax dollars to be generated from adult-use marijuana sales<\/a>\u00a0compared to what the governor\u2019s office has estimated, although it expects significantly less overall revenue from cannabis legalization due to differing views on licensing fees.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania officials have also launched a new survey that invites legal marijuana businesses across the country to provide information about their operations to help the state better understand the cannabis industry as lawmakers consider enacting adult-use legalization this session.<\/p>\n Also, in a video interview released in March, the governor emphasized that\u00a0the state is \u201closing out\u201d to others that have already enacted adult-use legalization<\/a>, while maintaining a policy that\u2019s enriched the illicit market.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s an issue of freedom and liberty. I mean, if folks want to smoke, they should be able to do so in a safe and legal way,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should shut down the black market\u2014and, by the way, every state around us is doing it. Pennsylvanians are driving to those other states and paying taxes in those other states.\u201d<\/p>\n The state\u2019s agriculture secretary separately told lawmakers that he\u2019s fully confident that his department is in a\u00a0\u201creally good\u201d position to oversee an adult-use marijuana program<\/a>\u00a0if lawmakers act.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in February, top Pennsylvania police and health officials told lawmakers\u00a0they are prepared to implement marijuana legalization<\/a>\u00a0if the legislature moves forward with the reform\u2014and that they stand ready to work together as the details of legislation to achieve it are crafted.<\/p>\n Amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania,\u00a0a GOP state senator said prohibition has been a \u201cdisaster,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and a regulated sales model for cannabis\u2014similar to how alcohol and tobacco are handled\u2014could serve as an effective alternative.<\/p>\n A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently\u00a0defended the push to legalize and regulate marijuana<\/a>, calling it \u201cthe most conservative stance\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n The post Pennsylvania\u2019s Medical Marijuana Program Expanded Significantly After Anxiety Was Added As A Qualifying Condition, Study Shows<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Anxiety is now the number one health condition that Pennsylvania patients use medical marijuana to treat, according to a new study. Relying on data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, researchers with Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pittsburgh assessed trends in more than 1.7 million medical cannabis certificationsContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":82152,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82153,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82151\/revisions\/82153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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