Autism, Sleep Apnea Now Qualify For Medical Marijuana

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota residents with autism or obstructive sleep apnea can now qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.

Those additions are effective Wednesday, marking the latest expansion of the program that launched in 2015. Minnesota lawmakers passed one of the nation’s most restrictive medical marijuana laws in 2014, banning the plant form and restricting its use to patients with just a handful of serious conditions.

Patients with intractable pain were added to the fold in 2016. The state allowed residents suffering post-traumatic stress disorder to buy the medication starting last summer.

Advocacy groups had sought to add even more conditions to the program, including nausea, dementia and anxiety disorders.