SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) β€” An advisory panel is recommending to New Mexico health officials that medical marijuana be considered as a tool in the fight against opioid abuse.

Some health professionals tell the Santa Fe New Mexican (http://bit.ly/2ftb8Ft) that expanding the list of conditions that qualify under the state's medical marijuana program could transform New Mexico's landscape of addiction.

The recommendation will need the approval of Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher.

The Medical Advisory Board also voted Friday to recommend that Alzheimer's disease be added as a qualifying condition, and that the Health Department raise the cap on the number of plants a grower can produce to ensure an adequate supply is available for the increase in patients.

Officials say the program has grown over the past year to nearly 33,000 patients.

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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com


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