Arizona Nurses Push for Expanded use of Medical Marijuana by 2016

The Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association is making news this week as they recently petitioned the Department of Health Services to add several conditions onto the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which will enable more patients to utilize the drug. 

According to the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, doctors in Arizona can currently recommend marijuana for the following conditions:

•  Cancer
•  Glaucoma
•  Positive status for HIV
•  AIDS
•  Hepatitis C.
•  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
•  Crohn's disease
•  Agitation of Alzheimer's disease
• Chronic or debilitating diseases or treatment that produces wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizure, severe or persistent muscle spasms
• Post traumatic stress disorder

This is not the first time the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association has attempted to add conditions onto the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. 

In fact, the Arizona Daily Sun noted that without the nurses' previous efforts, PTSD would not be on the list today. The approval came after their petition was first denied, and then the case wound up in court. In June 2014, the nurses were successful in suing the state to get PTSD on the list. 

To get PTSD approved last year, the nurses utilized medical studies from Israel, which were supported by the Israeli government, to prove that marijuana is effective for combat veterans who experience symptoms of PTSD. 

If you've never heard of how PTSD affects our troops and the great need for treatment that actually works, former marine and war correspondent David J. Morris discusses his own personal struggles with PTSD in this video:

According to Arizona law, to treat a condition with medical marijuana, peer-reviewed studies in medical journals must prove medical marijuana to be affective. Therefore, the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association included appropriate case studies in their most recent petition. 

However, since marijuana is still illegal under federal law in America, the appropriate medical data - such as double blind studies - are hard to come by. 

Cara Christ, the State of Arizona Health Chief, will rely on the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona to review the studies submitted in the most recent petition "to determine if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that marijuana is helpful in treating the ailments themselves, or at least the symptoms," the Arizona Daily Sun reports. 

The Arizona Department of Health Services stated the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association has proposed the following conditions to be added under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act:

• Arthritis
• Autism
• Diabetes
• Huntington's disease
• Neuropathic pain
• Parkinson's disease
• Tourette's syndrome
• Traumatic brain injury

The Arizona Daily Sun stated that by law, "Christ has until the end of October to determine if there's enough evidence to even schedule a legally required public hearing."

The Sierra Vista Herald claims close to 80,000 Arizonans have qualified as medical marijuana patients so far. 

So what do you think? Will the nurses prevail again? Sound off below!