Judge orders intractable pain onto marijuana treatment list

A judge has ordered the state of Illinois to expand the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use to include intractable pain.

The order issued Tuesday by Cook County Circuit Judge Raymond Mitchell seeks to overturn a decision by the Illinois Department of Public Health rejecting pain that’s resistant to treatment as a qualifier for medical marijuana use. Director Dr. Nirav Shah last year cited a “lack of high-quality data” as a reason for denying a recommendation by the now-defunct Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board for the decision.

A health department spokeswoman says Mitchell’s ruling will be appealed.

The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by Ann Mednick of Rolling Meadows. She contended she has taken opioid pills to cope with extreme pain caused by osteoarthritis but wants a treatment with fewer side effects.