Colorado became the 10th medical cannabis state to add PTSD to its list of qualifying conditions Monday, after Democratic Gov. John Hickenloope signed Senate Bill 17 into law. It is the first new condition added to Colorado’s program since 2001.

Doctors could begin making PTSD-specific recommendations as early as next week, or enough time to provide for the state’s information technology office to update the forms, Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told The Cannabist. 

Patients under the age of 18 who seek certification for medical cannabis under PTSD require one of the two recommending physicians be a pediatrician, board-certified family physician or a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who is part of the family’s medical care plan.

The Colorado Board of Health voted not to approve PTSD back in July of 2015. The next month, four military veterans and one sexual assault survivor filed a complaint against the board. The case is pending in Colorado Appeals Court and likely will be dismissed. PTSD as a qualifying condition in the Colorado program is seen as a victory for veterans who have been lobbying its addition for years.

Colorado’s other qualifying conditions include cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, cachexia, persistent muscle spasms, seizures, severe nausea, and severe pain. Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania also consider PTSD a qualifying condition for medical cannabis.