An advisory panel is recommending that an eye disease not be added to the conditions that qualify for medical marijuana in Michigan. Only one of six members on the review panel was in favor Tuesday. The petition was filed by Melba Velez Ortiz, a professor at Grand Valley State
University. She wants to add retinitis pigmentosa to the marijuana list. It’s an inherited disease that greatly affects the retina and can lead to night blindness and loss of vision. Ortiz says there’s research showing marijuana can slow down the disease. In 2008, Michigan voters approved marijuana for the side effects of cancer and a few other illnesses. Only one condition, post-traumatic stress disorder, has been added.
