SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health’s Medical Cannabis Program(MCP) announced Tuesday the addition of insomnia to the program’s list of qualifying conditions for enrollment starting June 1, 2023.
The announcement was made this morning at the MCP’s Medical Advisory Board meeting. A petition requesting insomnia be added as a qualifying condition was submitted for consideration at the board’s last meeting March 7, where the board members eligible to vote unanimously voted to support the recommendation.
In his written decision approving the advisory board’s petition, Department of Health Secretary Patrick M. Allen wrote:
“Even though patients may access cannabis without a medical cannabis card through the adult use program, by including insomnia in the list of qualifying conditions, patients would have increased opportunity to discuss with their medical provider how cannabis can be used to impact their insomnia and help them sleep better. From a health equity perspective, medical cannabis can offer a legal alternative to the expensive medications sometimes utilized by those suffering with insomnia.”
Insomnia is the 30th qualifying condition for the Medical Cannabis Program. Anxiety disorder was the most recent added condition in December 2022.
The Medical Cannabis Program was created under the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act. The purpose of this Act is to allow the beneficial use of medical cannabis in a regulated system for alleviating symptoms caused by debilitating medical conditions and their medical treatments. The New Mexico Department of Health administers the program in accordance with the act.
The full documents outlining the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board’s recommendation as well as the Secretary of Health’s decision can be found online in the Announcements section of https://www.nmhealth.org/about/mcp/svcs/.
Information about the Medical Cannabis Program, including information for health providers, patients and caregivers can be found on the NMDOH website, https://nmhealth.org/.