Pot bill is a lift for opioid care

ALBANY — The Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be used to treat opioid addiction.

“This is a very serious problem in our society and this treatment works incredibly well,” said Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan), who introduced the measure. “The treatment experts should have this in their tool box.”’

O’Donnell and other supporters of the bill believe medical marijuana can be an effective weapon against many symptoms that plague recovering addicts, including nausea and anxiety. It also poses less risk than existing opioid-based treatments such as methadone or Vivitrol, they said.

The bill still faces an uncertain fate in the state Senate, where it remains in the Health Committee. The session ends June 20.