An Illinois judge has ordered officials in the state to add intractable pain to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.
Cook County Judge Raymond Mitchell ordered the agency to add the condition this week.
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman from the health department said that the agency will be appealing the ruling.
Ann Mednick is the woman behind the lawsuit hat led to the judge’s ruling. The woman from Rolling Meadows has said, “Illinois is years behind the times. The state needs to get (it) together.”
Mednick has taken opioid pills to deal with extreme pain that she has due to osteoarthritis. Though Rheumatoid arthritis is on the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, osteoarthritis is not.
“The record shows that individuals with intractable pain would benefit from the medical use of cannabis,” the judge wrote.