IDPH approves four new conditions for medical cannabis treatment
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), after confirming votes from the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board (MCAB), officially added four new conditions to the list of qualifying debilitating condition for Illinois patients in the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program. The four conditions, effective immediately, include endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and female orgasmic disorder.
The approval by IDPH Director, Dr. Sameer Vohra, comes following reviews by MCAB and IDPH staff. In the May and June MCAB meetings, board members recommended that Endometriosis, Female Organismic Disorder, Ovarian Cyst, and Uterine Fibroid be added to Illinois’ list of qualifying debilitating condition. Generalized Anxiety and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome also were debated and voted on but were not recommended. Those conditions will have to be reintroduced during the next annual process in order to revisit a vote.
IDPH provided the brief information about each condition below:
Female orgasmic disorder
This is a condition where a female has difficulty reaching orgasm. There may be a wide variety of causes for this syndrome. Data suggests that cannabis can be helpful for women with difficulties or dysfunction attaining orgasm.
Endometriosis
This is a condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, which can result in severe pain, scarring, and infertility. Studies show that cannabis is an effective means of treating pain from endometriosis.
Ovarian cysts
This is a broad category covering several different types of cysts (a solid or fluid-filled pocket) which grows on or within the ovary. Medical cannabis would be used to treat the pain associated with these cysts.
Uterine fibroids
These common, benign growths can lead to chronic pelvic pain, which can be treated with medical cannabis.
Providers are now able to begin certifying patients with those conditions for treatment with medical cannabis. The four approvals mark the first expansion of the list of conditions that can be treated with medical cannabis since 2019. Those four newly added conditions bring the total to 56. You can find the current list of eligible conditions at Debilitating Conditions here.
“Medical cannabis has been shown to offer an effective means of relief from a variety of debilitating medical conditions and symptoms,” said Vohra. “IDPH reviews petitions carefully using expert opinion and the most up to date evidence to make decisions that best serve Illinois residents. IDPH looks forward to working with our medical providers to ensure appropriate access for individuals struggling with these newly approved conditions.”
Currently, qualifying patients must be diagnosed with a debilitating condition to be eligible for a medical cannabis registry identification card in Illinois. Conditions include:
- Autism
- Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Anorexia nervosa
- Arnold-Chiari malformation
- Cancer
- Cachexia/wasting syndrome
- Causalgia
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Chronic pain
- Crohn’s disease
- CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
- Dystonia
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Endometriosis
- Female Orgasmic Disorder
- Fibrous Dysplasia
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- Hydrocephalus
- Hydromyelia
- Interstitial cystitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Lupus
- Migraines
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myoclonus
- Nail-patella syndrome
- Neuro-Bechet’s autoimmune disease
- Neurofibromatosis
- Neuropathy
- Osteoarthritis
- Ovarian Cysts
- Parkinson’s disease
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)
- Post-Concussion Syndrome
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Residual limb pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Seizures (including those characteristic of Epilepsy)
- Severe fibromyalgia
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Spinal cord disease (including but not limited to arachnoiditis)
- Spinal cord injury is damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
- Spinocerebellar ataxia
- Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
- Syringomyelia
- Tarlov cysts
- Tourette syndrome
- Traumatic brain injury
- Ulcerative colitis
- Uterine Fibroids
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