State Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger
Patients with intractable pain will be eligible for the state’s medical marijuana program beginning July 1st 2016, State Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger announced this morning. Ehlinger says as a physician he shares concerns of his colleagues about lack of scientific evidence on the effectiveness of cannabis, but also knew the decision “was not just about medicine and objective science. It was also about people — people who have been suffering, many of them for many, many years.” The legislature has the option of overriding Ehlinger’s decision if lawmakers wish. If they don’t act, his decision stands.