Can You Get a Medical Card for IBS in Your State?

If you’re one of the millions of Americans living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you likely know that it can be challenging to find an effective remedy for the pain, cramping, gas, and other symptoms of the condition. Traditional treatments often provide only partial relief, so many patients turn to medical cannabis to help them address their symptoms of IBS. But, can you get a medical card for IBS?

Before you can use medical cannabis for IBS, however, you must determine if your state has approved the use of medical cannabis to treat the disease. 

Many states maintain a list of specified qualifying conditions that allow patients to use medical cannabis, and irritable bowel syndrome is included as a qualifying condition in some medical cannabis programs. 

What are Qualifying Conditions?

Medical cannabis laws vary from state to state. Some medical cannabis programs are more inclusive and allow doctors to recommend its use for any medical condition it might help. Other states, however, restrict the use of medical cannabis to a list of specified ailments known as qualifying conditions.¹ In these states, patients must be diagnosed with one or more qualifying conditions to be eligible to use medical cannabis. 

Some conditions, such as cancer and chronic pain, have been approved as qualifying conditions in many states, while others, including IBS, are less common. To determine if you can use medical marijuana for IBS where you live, review your state’s medical cannabis regulations.

How Can I Find My State's Qualifying Conditions?

The differences in medical cannabis programs from state to state, but many resources can help you learn if you are eligible to use medical weed for IBS. 

Review your state laws and regulations to determine if you can get a medical card for IBS where you live. You can also access relevant information from cannabis policy reform advocacy groups, including your state’s chapter on the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Americans for Safe Access, and The Marijuana Policy Project.

Which States Have IBS as a Qualifying Condition?

Only a few state medical marijuana programs explicitly list irritable bowel syndrome as a qualifying condition and allow patients to get a medical card for IBS. For example,  Illinois has a relatively extensive list of debilitating qualifying conditions that permit patients to use medical weed for IBS and related conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. 

As more is learned about the reported therapeutic connection between IBS and weed, more states are adding irritable bowel syndrome as a qualifying condition. In 2023, both Ohio and Minnesota amended their medical cannabis programs to include IBS as a qualifying condition, giving millions of patients new options to manage the disease. 

If My State Doesn't Have IBS as a Qualifying Condition, Can I Still Get a Medical Card?

Although only a few states have specifically listed irritable bowel syndrome as a qualifying condition, patients living with the disease in other areas may still be eligible to use medical marijuana for IBS. Many states give physicians discretion to recommend medical cannabis to any patient who might benefit from its use. Other states often list common symptoms in addition to specific conditions, making patients with similar or related conditions eligible for a medical cannabis card.

In California, doctors can recommend medical cannabis for one of several listed qualifying conditions. Additionally, the state considers medical cannabis recommendations for “any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that either substantially limits a person's ability to conduct one or more of major life activities as defined in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or if not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the person's safety, physical, or mental health.”

Other jurisdictions have similarly broad regulations. In Massachusetts, patients are eligible to use medical cannabis if they have a listed qualifying condition or “other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a certified physician.” 

In Maryland, patients can get a medical card for a qualifying condition “or another chronic medical condition which is severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.” In Florida, doctors can recommend medical cannabis for patients with a qualifying condition or “medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to the others listed.”

Washington, D.C., has what is perhaps the most inclusive medical cannabis program. In the nation’s capital, patients with “any debilitating condition as recommended by a DC licensed doctor or as self-certified by a patient” can get a medical card and use medical cannabis.

Patients in states that have not listed IBS as a qualifying condition to use medical cannabis may still be able to get a medical card. Many states have approved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as qualifying conditions. Other states, including Arizona and Utah, have processes to petition regulators to add new qualifying conditions, giving patients with IBS a potential avenue to use medical cannabis in the future.

Do Any Symptoms of IBS Count as Qualifying Conditions?

Although not all states have approved irritable bowel syndrome as a qualifying condition for the use of medical cannabis, symptoms of the disease will often be listed. As a result, most patients with the condition still have options to get a medical card for IBS. 

For example, chronic pain is a qualifying condition in every medical cannabis state, making most patients with IBS likely eligible for a medical cannabis card. Additionally, comorbidities of IBS, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic pelvic pain, have been approved as qualifying conditions in many states.

Not all states have explicitly approved IBS as a qualifying condition. However, thanks to other provisions of state medical cannabis regulations, most patients with this serious condition can find a way to get a medical card for IBS by consulting a qualified physician.

References

1. Boehnke KF, Gangopadhyay S, Clauw DJ, Haffajee RL. Qualifying Conditions Of Medical Cannabis License Holders In The United States. Health Affairs. 2019;38(2):295-302. doi:https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05266
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The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.