Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has again rejected expanding the list of diseases that can be treated with marijuana in Illinois. The Department of Public Health announced the decision, spurning eight recommendations from an expert advisory board.
The panel had recommended post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects many military veterans. Also recommended and rejected were autism, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis and four pain syndromes.
It's the second such sweeping rejection from the Republican governor. Rauner in September vetoed legislation that would have added PTSD, and his health chief at that time rejected nearly a dozen conditions the expert panel had recommended.
New conditions would have meant more customers for a struggling industry. Now, just 4,000 Illinois patients can buy medical marijuana legally for conditions that include cancer and multiple sclerosis.