Bill > H5630

This bill creates the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act, which requires healthcare facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medicinal cannabis within the facility, subject to several important restrictions. Specifically, the bill mandates that facilities prohibit smoking or vaping of cannabis, include cannabis use in patient medical records, and require patients to provide a valid medical marijuana card or physician recommendation. Patients must store cannabis in a locked container and facilities must develop written guidelines for its use. The bill defines a terminally ill patient as someone with a prognosis of one year or less to live and ensures that compliance with these provisions is not a condition of facility licensing. Healthcare facilities are protected by provisions that allow them to suspend cannabis use if federal agencies take enforcement actions, though they cannot prohibit use solely because cannabis remains a Schedule I drug. The bill also clarifies that facilities are not required to recommend cannabis or include it in discharge plans, and that existing cannabis laws remain unchanged. Importantly, the bill aims to support terminally ill patients' ability to use medicinal cannabis safely within healthcare settings while maintaining patient and staff safety.

Health and Social Services

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