Although the conditions for prescribing medical marijuana differ from state to state, there are many similarities. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The industry is in a haze, and it’s from marijuana — legalized medical marijuana. So many questions and not enough answers when it comes to established claims guidelines for reimbursement:

• Is cannabis falling into the abyss of the property and casualty claims payment systems?
• What do claims professionals do when they encounter a medical bill for cannabis?
• Why are there are no valid codes for submission for payment in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS) or National Drug Code (NDC) for medical marijuana?

There actually is an answer to the last question because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still classifies medical marijuana as a Schedule I drug. The FDA has not approved marijuana as a safe and effective drug for any indication (FDA, 2017). Its classification as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 indicates that marijuana has a high potential for abuse, does not currently have an accepted medical use and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and hallucinogens like LSD.

Legalization in the U.S.

At the state level, there are currently 29 states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized medical marijuana (ProCon.Org, 2017). They are:

• Alaska*
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California*
• Colorado*
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine*
• Maryland
• Massachusetts*
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon*
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington*
• West Virginia
• Washington, D.C.

Of these states, seven have also legalized marijuana for recreational use in addition to medical marijuana.

Related: Workplace safety and weed at work