HONOLULU, HI — Regulators at the Hawaii Department of Health have agreed to expand the state’s medical cannabis program so that patients diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) may be eligible to access medicinal cannabis.
Citizens petitioned regulators to add both ALS and generalized anxiety disorder to the list of conditions eligible for cannabis therapy.
Department officials concluded that there exists a lack of evidence to support the latter recommendation.
Preclinical models indicate that cannabinoids can alter ALS progression. However, controlled clinical trials evaluating the use of cannabis in patients with ALS have not yet been conducted.
Tags: ALS, Amyothropic Lateral Sclerosis, Hawaii, Hawaii medical marijuana, Lou Gehrig’s disease
