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SANTA FE – New Mexico will add anxiety disorder as a qualifying condition to participate in its medical cannabis program after the state’s top health official approved a recommendation made earlier this year by an advisory board.
The new qualifying condition, which will take effect next month, comes as New Mexico has seen a significant decline in enrollment in its medical cannabis program following the April legalization of recreational marijuana use for adults age 21 and older.
David Scrase, acting secretary for the state Department of Health, said Tuesday the decision to add anxiety disorder as a qualifying condition would provide additional options to the roughly 1 in 4 New Mexicans afflicted by anxiety disorder, which can include panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“Even though patients may access cannabis without a medical cannabis card through the adult-use program, by including anxiety disorder on the list of qualifying conditions, patients would have increased opportunity to discuss with their medical provider how cannabis can be used to alleviate the symptoms of their anxiety disorder,” Scrase said in a statement.
After years of rapid growth, enrollment in the medical cannabis program dipped from 133,113 patients as of the end of March to 116,279 patients as of the end of November, according to DOH data.
The director of the state’s medical cannabis program has described the patient decline as not surprising in the initial months after adult-use legalization, while also predicting enrollment levels would rebound in the coming months.
He also said some enrolled patients might renew their medical cannabis cards after realizing that commercial sales are subject to taxation – the tax rate is currently about 20%, depending on location – while medical cannabis purchases are not.
However, some cannabis producers and patients say many dispensaries have decided to focus primarily on recreational sales, while also claiming the state does not provide sufficient protections and incentives for medical marijuana users to continue signing up.
Scrase made the decision to add anxiety disorder as a qualifying condition after the state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board voted in March to recommend the move.
Once the change takes effect, anxiety disorder will become one of 29 qualifying conditions for enrolling in the medical cannabis program. Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and acute chronic pain make up more than 80% of all enrolled patients.
