Majority of medical-marijuana permits in Massachusetts issued to those who don't have one of eight pre-qualifying conditions

The vast majority of medical-marijuana certificates in Massachusetts -- more than 90 percent -- were issued to patients who have not been diagnosed with one of the eight pre-qualifying conditions established under state law, according to new data from the Department of Public Health. 

Massachusetts is one of three states -- the others are California and New Hampshire -- that give doctors the freedom to issue medical-marijuana certifications for conditions that have not been approved by a higher authority. Currently, 22,130 of the 24,463 active certifications fall into that category, labeled simply as "other" in the state's database. 

Meanwhile, there are 756 active certificates for cancer, 403 for hepatitis C, 347 for multiple sclerosis, 276 for Crohn's disease, 265 for HIV/AIDS, 227 for glaucoma, 41 for Parkinson's disease, and 18 for ALS. 

"Nobody wants to keep marijuana out of the hands of people...

Rate this article: 

This marijuana news is brought to you by 420 Intel. For the latest breaking cannabis industry news, subscribe to the 420 Intel newsletter. If you'd like to promote your product or service in this area after every article, contact us.