Residents of Minnesota suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be allowed to use medical cannabis starting from August next year, the Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday. The agency added that it had expanded the list of qualifying conditions that would benefit from its year-long medical marijuana program.

Also under review were conditions like depression, arthritis and autism spectrum disorders but Department of Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger said there wasn’t enough evidence proving marijuana’s effectiveness in treating those conditions.

He added that the lack of an effective treatment for PTSD helped its case. The list was compiled after taking into consideration public petitions filed to the department.

“This decision was made after careful deliberation of available evidence, consultation with experts in the field and public input,” Ehlinger reportedly said. “While the process of reviewing these potential additions was difficult due to the relative lack of published scientific evidence, PTSD presented...