A bill was introduced by Representative Vince Leach in Arizona that would added opioid abuse to the list of medical conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana.
House Bill 2064 is a bill that originally was designed to ban dispensaries from selling edibles in packaging that could attract children but has been edited to add the opioid use disorder condition.
“HB 2064 went from being something that I found, in its original language and apparent intent, annoying,” remarked Mikel Weisser, the executive director at the Arizona chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, (NORML). “Now, with the opioid use disorder added, it’s something I want to see happen.”
The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate Commerce and Public Safety committee on Monday.
Currently Arizona allows doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for conditions that include cancer, glaucoma, HIV, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, or anything that causes muscle spasms, severe nausea, or chronic pain, and PTSD.