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Ohio board OKs medical marijuana use for wasting syndrome

The board voted Wednesday to add cachexia as a qualifying condition.
Credit: AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The State Medical Board of Ohio has voted to add cachexia to the list of conditions that qualify for a doctor to recommend medical marijuana for patients.

That condition involves weakness or wasting of the body due to chronic illness, and it includes symptoms such as loss of appetite. It sometimes affects patients who have some of the other qualifying conditions on Ohio's medical marijuana list, such as AIDS or cancer.

The board voted Wednesday to add cachexia as a qualifying condition.

Board members also considered petitions to add anxiety and autism spectrum disorders to the list. But they again decided against doing so, saying the risks for those patients might outweigh the possible benefits.

Other qualifying conditions for legal use of medical marijuana in Ohio include epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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