Anxiety now qualifies for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday added anxiety disorders and Tourette’s syndrome to the list of health conditions that qualify for treatment using medical marijuana.

The conditions were approved following a recommendation by the state Medical Marijuana Advisory Board and a review of research by Health Secretary Rachel Levine. Anxiety and Tourette’s will join the state’s list of 21 serious ailments on July 21. Other qualifying illnesses include terminal cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis.

“I did not take this decision lightly,” Levine said in a statement. “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.”

Levine’s announcement came before a marijuana “summit” she had called Thursday to discuss the marijuana medical research with representatives of eight Pennsylvania universities and recently approved cannabis producers who will partner with the schools.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting more than 18 percent of the population every year, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. [Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer]