Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation

Medical marijuana and workers' compensation is a topic that several clients have asked me about.

People know that in Connecticut, medical marijuana is now available.  When suffering through injuries and symptoms, they want to know if medical marijuana is a treatment option for them.

The short answer is yes, but there are very strict requirements and most people injured at work will not meet them.  But for those who do, it is something to discuss with your physician and with your attorney.

In Connecticut, medical marijuana is only available for 11 specific qualifying debilitating medical conditions.  While this list will undoubtedly change with time, only two of the conditions might arise from an on-the-job injury.  They are:

1. damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
2. post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Remember that in the future, additional medical conditions may be added.  Right now, however, these are the two qualifying medical conditions that might flow from an on-the-job injury.

The idea of using medical marijuana as a legitimate and legal form of medication is here and is starting to play a role in workers' compensation injury situations, but bear in mind that it will be a long and challenging road to go down.  You will want an experienced workers' compensation attorney on your side.