Chief Medical Officer 'Disappointed' In Pot PTSD Decision

DENVER (CBS4)- Colorado's Chief Medical Officer recommended that the state add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of conditions treated by medical marijuana. But the Colorado Board of Health rejected the classification.

"I am certainly disappointed by the decision but I respect how and why the decision was made," said Colorado Chief Medical Officer Dr. Larry Wolk.

Despite hours of emotional patient testimony from dozens of patients including military veterans, the board overwhelmingly voted against adding PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical pot on Wednesday.

"I know that this works for me and nothing else ever did," said one veteran.

"No veteran has ever OD'd on marijuana and died accidentally," said another.

The Colorado Board of Health voted 6-2 against adding PTSD to the list of conditions treated by medical marijuana according to the state. If it would have been approved, Colorado would have been the tenth state to include PTSD in its medical marijuana program.

RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive

"You're a bunch of liars and you all gotta sleep with yourselves!" said one patient after the board voted against the qualification.

"But I feel what we are currently lacking is the science," said Colorado Board of Health President Dr. Tony Cappello.

Board members said while the success stories shared were heard, the scientific evidence just isn't enough.

"I just don't want to turn it into a public experiment," said board member Janelle Orsborn.

"I knew it was going to be a difficult decision," said Wolk.

Wolk argued that adding PTSD would increase transparency of actual usage, saying many veterans are self-medicating. He hopes in the future the research will be there to help those suffering from the illness.

"I'm sure we will continue to see this and continue to debate how to best treat patients with PTSD," said Wolk.

Colorado has about 113,000 people on its medical marijuana registry. All have a doctor's recommendation to use the drug to treat eight conditions ranging from cancer to severe pain.