With medical marijuana legal in Washington, D.C. and 29 states, insurers across the country have been confronted with the same dilemma. There's a scarcity of research on medical marijuana, and "nobody knows" how safe it is, she said. "He became suicidal."Twin Rivers attorney Anne-Marie Storey said paying for medical marijuana puts the company in violation of federal law. The company contends that Maine's medical marijuana law does not explicitly require an insurer to cover the cost of medical marijuana."This is not a case about making judgment over whether someone should use or not use marijuana as a matter of personal choice," she said. Five states — Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico — have found medical marijuana treatment is reimbursable under their workers compensation laws, according to the National Counsel for Compensation Insurance.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine supreme court on Wednesday began considering whether a paper millworker left suicidal by narcotic painkillers should receive workers' compensation for medical marijuana.
It's the first time the court has considered the question of insurance reimbursement for medical marijuana.
Madawaska resident Gaetan Bourgoin won a ruling from the state's Workers' Compensation Board two years ago saying the paper mill's insurer must reimburse him for medical marijuana. He contends marijuana is cheaper and safer than narcotics.
But Twin Rivers Paper Co. and its insurer appealed the ruling, arguing that paying for pot use, even...
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