The director of the Arizona Department of Health services as until July 9 to either accept, reject or modify a finding by an Arizona administrative law judge that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should be considered a medical conditions for which marijuana may be prescribed.
Director Will Humbles informed the public that he will “studying the report and will make a decision after analyzing the Decision and Order.”
A petition to add PTSD was received in 2012 and again in 2013, according to Humble. Humble claimed that those suffering from PTSD did not qualify for an Arizona Medical Marijuana Registration Card because there was not enough scientific evidence to support marijuana as helpful to those suffering from PTSD.
According to a report developed by the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, after receiving requests for adding conditions, Humble requested “a report on the scientific evidence on the use of cannabis for this condition from the University of Arizona College of Public Health. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 36-2801.01, the public may petition the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to add debilitating medical conditions to those listed in A.R.S. 36-2801(3).”
A.A.C. R9-17-106(C) states, ADHS “shall accept requests for the addition of a medical condition to the list of debilitating medical conditions in R9-17-201 in January and July of each calendar year starting in January 2012,” noted the report. The Department Medical Advisory Committee then considers the totality of the evidence including holding a public hearing the Department Medical Advisory Committee then considers the totality of the evidence in deciding to add a condition to the list, or not in deciding to add a condition to the list, or not.
The report concluded: “There is a high degree of certainty of this association but it is not possible to determine if PTSD causes alcohol and other substance use, the reverse, or if both are associated with another condition. The evidence regarding the effects of using marijuana or other cannabinoids to treat the symptoms of PTSD in humans should be considered very low quality with a high degree of uncertainty.”
It is fairly unusual for the decisions of administrative law judges to be appealed by state entities except for political purposes.