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NY's Assembly Approves Use Of Marijuana As PTSD Treatment

New York state lawmakers are gaining momentum in a measure to expand medical marijuana coverage to those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Currently, medical marijuana in New York can only be used to treat serious illnesses such as cancer and Lou Gehrig's disease.

The New York Daily News reports the Democrat-controlled Assembly approved a measure that adds PTSD to the list of state-approved ailments that doctors can prescribe medical marijuana as treatment. The bill will now move to the Republican-controlled Senate.

The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried of Manhattan, says there's evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating PTSD.

New York launched its medicinal marijuana program last year.

© 2017 AP

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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