Knowledgebase

knowledgebase Category: Conditions

While there are a number of medical benefits associated with cannabis, if Nevada residents have one of the nine conditions listed below, they can qualify for medical cannabis use.

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Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

What It Is: A disease affecting the human immune system in which the body’s white blood cells are destroyed by the HIV virus.

Common Symptoms: Severe nausea, exhaustion, physical weakness, neurological difficulties, appetite loss. High active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) drugs, which are used to combat the effects of HIV/AIDs can cause nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, and weight loss.

How Cannabis Can Help: Cannabis can help reduce nausea, vomiting, and stimulate the appetite as well as provide psychological relief from the disease.

Cancer

What It Is: A category of diseases in which the body’s cells divide without stopping and invade nearby tissues, potentially spreading to other parts of the body. 

Common Symptoms: Neuropathy, nausea, and vomiting (from chemotherapy treatments).

How Cannabis Can Help: Cannabis can treat nausea, vomiting, and relieve neuropathy. There are also studies that suggest cannabis has the potential to kill certain cancer cells and prevent new ones from forming, but more research needs to be done in this area.

Glaucoma

What It Is: Condition in which the fluid pressure in the eye reaches unhealthy levels. Can cause loss of vision or blindness if left untreated.

Common Symptoms: Blind spots in your side or central vision, tunnel vision, nausea, vomiting, headaches.

How Cannabis Can Help: Cannabis can temporarily lower a person’s intraocular pressure (IOP).

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What It Is: A mental health condition experienced by people who’ve suffered a traumatic and/or life-threatening event.

Common Symptoms: Flashbacks of the event, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, severe anxiety.

How Cannabis Can Help: Can treat anxiety, insomnia, depression.

Cachexia

What It Is: Emaciation and malnutrition of the body, usually as the result of a chronic illness.

Common Symptoms: Weight loss, loss of appetite, decreased functional abilities, swelling.

How Cannabis Can Help: Can stimulate the appetite, leading to increased nutritional/caloric intake and weight gain.

Persistent Muscle Spasms (Including Multiple Sclerosis)

What It Is: A sudden, involuntary contraction of the muscles. Muscle spasms can be a symptom of multiple sclerosis, a progressive disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Common Symptoms (for multiple sclerosis): Muscle spasms, muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness, dizziness, vision problems, chronic pain, gastrointestinal problems.

How Cannabis Can Help: Can reduce chronic pain, inflammation, and the frequency of muscle spasms as well as improve gastrointestinal issues.

Seizures (Including Epilepsy)

What It Is: A sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain which causes physical convulsions, abnormal behavior, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy is a disease characterized by repeated, involuntary seizures.

Common Symptoms for Epilepsy: Temporary confusion, uncontrollable jerking, loss of consciousness, staring spells, feelings of fear, anxiety, and deja vu.

How Cannabis Can Help: Can help reduce the frequency of seizures

Severe Nausea and Severe Pain

Severe nausea and severe pain are often symptoms of underlying, more complex medical conditions.

Both nausea and pain can be treated using cannabis.

Additional Conditions are Subject to the Approval of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health

If you suffer from an illness that’s not listed above, you may still qualify for medical cannabis use.

Ask your doctor if it’s possible to treat your medical condition with cannabis. If your doctor approves, your next step is to petition the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health and request that your illness be added to their list of qualifying conditions.