Medical marijuana, now legal in 39 states, has been the vanguard of cannabis legalization for years, spearheading the push for recreational sales. Selling medical pot is based on mostly anecdotal evidence that it’s good for treating a wide variety of illnesses—from morning sickness to anxiety and stress, as well as a host of other ailments, with scant scientific evidence to back it up. Relieving pain is one of the most commonly reported qualifying conditions although, again, there’s little scientific evidence to support the claim that it actually helps. Still, the medical marijuana market continues to grow by convincing consumers that it’s a panacea for just about anything. Originally, states with legal medical pot listed a number of diseases for which the drug could be certified. But now, some states, like New York, have dropped the list, and allow physicians and other medical practitioners to prescribe the drug for any condition if they feel it can be treated by cannabis. Virginia, for its part, still lists anorexia, autism, anxiety, Crohn’s Disease, and lupus, among other diseases, as qualifying conditions. How easy is it to get a certificate in the state? Very, as Axios,found out. Just call a practitioner, acknowledge you feel anxious, and pay $99, and a certificate can be yours to buy medical weed "or your money back." As with recreational cannabis, the market for medical pot has raced ahead of the science, thereby putting consumers—including those who are pregnant—at risk from high potency marijuana products.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies