Workers’ Comp Must Cover Medical Marijuana

September 8, 2014
robomayor
Policy & Legal
0 Comments

Santa Fe, NM (WorkersCompensation.com) – Medical marijuana a doctor recommended for an injured worker’s pain must be paid for by the workers’ employer and insurer, the New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled.

Despite the drug’s federal classification as a controlled substance, the court found that New Mexico law entitled Gregory Vialpando to reimbursement for marijuana to treat the high-intensity pain that followed failed spinal surgeries for a workplace back injury.

Vialpando met the threshold for payments under workers’ compensation laws when his doctor recommended medical marijuana as reasonable and necessary for his treatment, the ruling states.

The Aug. 29 decision supports a lower court finding that Vialpando’s participation in the New Mexico Department of Health’s Medical Cannabis Program constituted reasonable and necessary medical care, the standard for reimbursement set by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act. [Read More]

Rob Meagher

Rob Meagher, CBE’s Founder, President and Editor-in-Chief is a 30 year veteran of the media world. His career has spanned from stints representing the Washington Post, USA Weekend, Reader’s Digest, Financial World & Corporate Finance to the technology world where he worked at International Data Group and Ziff Davis where he was part of the launch team for The Web Magazine, Yahoo Internet Life, Smart Business and Expedia Travels before starting his own marketing and Publisher’s Representative Firm. He also ran all print and online media sales and marketing for the Society for Human Resource Management before partnering with Forbes and then Fortune to create Special Sections covering a variety of topics. Rob, who started CBE Press in 2014, can be contacted at [email protected].

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