A similar bill was vetoed last year, but Colorado’s new Gov. Jared Polis supports adding the condition.
Colorado Advances Bill to Add Autism as Medical Cannabis Condition
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A bill that would add autism as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis in Colorado has managed to pass committee approval and move to the state House floor for voting, The Denver Post reports.
A similar bill that hoped to add autism as a qualifying condition was vetoed last year by former Gov. John Hickenlooper.
The new bill passed the Colorado House of Representatives Health Committee with a 10-1 vote. The only no vote came from state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, vice chair of the committee, who said that her concerns were that “these decisions are being driven outside the medical home.”
Melissa Atchley, who attended the committee hearing, said she’s not concerned about the lack of medical evidence for cannabis’ effects on autism. “As a mom, I want my child to stop beating his head against a wall,” Atchley said.
The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote.
Colorado has an ongoing study investigating the effects of medical cannabis on autism, established following former Gov. Hickenlooper’s veto.
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