COLUMBUS, Ohio — Unable to find it on the football field, long-suffering Browns and Bengals fans are trying an alternate route for relief.
Officials with Ohio’s medical marijuana program on Tuesday revealed 27 conditions that Ohioans requested be added to a state list of qualifying conditions to receive a medical-marijuana recommendation from a doctor.
One of them was Cincinnati Bengals / Cleveland Browns fandom.
Officials didn’t say who made the request or whether they considered it serious.
The rest of the requests involve legitimate health issues or conditions. Requested additions include depression, Epstein-Barr Virus (which causes mono), gastroesophageal reflux disease and insomnia.
A few — AIDS/HIV, chronic pain, cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — already are on the lists of qualifying conditions for a marijuana recommendation.
A couple — anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorder — were rejected by state officials in September.
The Ohio State Medical Board’s medical marijuana committee at its upcoming Feb. 12 meeting will decide which conditions to consider, according to agency spokeswoman Tessa Pollock. A final vote on qualifying conditions is expected this summer.
State officials from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 accepted petitions from the public for new qualifying conditions for the state’s medical marijuana program, launched last year. As part of their applications, petitioners were required to include supporting documentation, including relevant medical or scientific evidence pertaining to the disease or condition, and consideration of whether conventional medical therapies are insufficient to treat or alleviate the disease or condition.
The state’s 21 current qualifying conditions are: AIDS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gerhig’s disease), Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Crohn’s disease, Epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, Hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury and ulcerative colitis.
Here’s the full list of new petitions submitted by Ohioans:
1. Anxiety
2. Anxiety
3. Anxiety, Depression
4. Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder
5. Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Arthritis
6. Asperger’s Disorder
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder
8. Autism Spectrum Disorder
9. Autism Spectrum Disorder
10. Bengals/Browns Fans
11. Cachexia/Wasting Syndrome
12. Chronic Back Chronic Hip
13. Depression
14. Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia, Concussions
15. Epstein-Barr
16. Gastroesophageal reflux disease
17. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
18. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
19. HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's
20. Insomnia
21. Lupus
22. Opioid Use Disorder
23. Opioid Use Disorder
24. Panic Attack and Anxiety
25. PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
26. Severe Social Anxiety
27. Stage 4 Breast Lung Lymph Nodes Cancer