Georgia's Medical Cannabis Working Group approved a list of recommendations Wednesday for a bill that would add many new diagnoses to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. (Thinkstock / Getty Images)

Georgia Senate’s cannabis working group proposes expansion of qualifying medical conditions

ATLANTA — A proposal to expand access to medical marijuana has cleared a state Senate working group.

The Medical Cannabis Working Group approved a list of recommendations Wednesday for a bill that would add many new diagnoses to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.

The bill also removes some residency restrictions and eases reporting requirements on prescribing physicians. The bill will go to the full Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee for further discussion and possibly a vote.

The new diagnoses include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, AIDS, HIV, chronic pain, and autism.

Dr. Page Ward, a Georgia pediatrician and mother of an autistic son, testified in support of the bill. She says cannabis oil helped her 17-year-old son not to have violent outbursts. She told lawmakers, “I don’t get bruises anymore.”