New Mexico Secretary of Health Again Refuses to Add Opioid Use Disorder to Medical Cannabis Qualifying Conditions
SANTA FE, NM On Friday, September 7th, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that Secretary Lynn Gallagher would not allow people suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) to qualify for medical cannabis in New Mexico.
This is the second time the Medical Advisory Boards (MAB) recommendation to add opioid use disorder was denied; the first time was in 2017. That year the NM Legislature also voted to approve adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, and sent a bill (HB 527) to Governor Martinez in 2017, but the bill was vetoed.
The Secretary also declined to add several other medical conditions that the Board recommended from the November 2017 meeting including muscular dystrophy, substance use disorder, eczema and psoriasis and Tourettes syndrome.
Medical Advisory Board members are nationally board certified medical doctors who are appointed by the Governor and lend their service in a voluntary capacity.
Cannabis helps reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms, like nausea and insomnia; it promotes restful sleep and helps reduce the intensity of cravings. People receiving medication for OUD have been shown to have better treatment outcomes when they are also able to access medical cannabis. In New Mexico in 2017 more than 500 people died of an opioid drug overdose.
We lose one or two New Mexicans to overdose every single day. The Secretarys failure to add this condition is discriminatory and stigmatizing for people suffering from opioid and other substance use disorders said Jessica Gelay, Policy Manager, with Drug Policy Alliance. Its well known that New Mexico needs more options to support people suffering from problematic opioid use. This decision means that medical cannabis, a legitimate option to support symptoms related to OUD and withdrawal from ...
