People with Autism Spectrum Disorder are now able to get access to medical marijuana in Connecticut.
The state’s Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians unanimously approved adding both Autism Spectrum Disorder and Female Orgasmic Disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for adults 18 and older.
The additions are the first ones since 2021.
The disorders join the list of 42 debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson’s, PTSD and epilepsy.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“I think this is an awesome way to increase access and improve the quality of life for people who really don’t have a lot of options out there,” said Chyenne Giarnese, a nurse practioner.
Giarnese advocated for the additions during a meeting of the board Friday before the vote. She said she was diagnosed with autism at the age of 20.
“My whole life I’ve been on and off different medications because of insurance, the side effects have been awful,” she said. “I was gratefully able to come off of all my medications and just be on a CBD and THC tincture.”
Local
According to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, there are just under 40,000 medical marijuana patients and over 1,800 certifying physicians registered with the Medical Marijuana Program.
Dr. Suzanne Mulvehill from the Female Orgasm Research Institute also went before the board to advocate for women impacted by the disorder.
“It not only affects their lives, I mean, it affects their mental health, their physical health, their spiritual health. It is known to have a cross directional relationship…it can actually cause mental health issues like anxiety and depression,” Dr. Mulvehill said.
She said this will be life changing for women and hopes it will remove the stigma from the disorder.
“Up to 41 percent of women are affected by this condition and that statistic hasn't changed for 50 years. So, I think that the board realized that with the fact that there is a paucity of treatments, there's no conventional medication. It is a stigmatized and shamed condition, which is part of the reason that I think women have a hard time overcoming it.”
Only those aged 18 and older are eligible and they must be receiving treatment from a state-licensed physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse.
Patients are allowed up to five ounces per month.
