California’s Assembly has approved a measure to allow school boards to decide whether or not to allow medical cannabis use on K-12 campuses, the Associated Press reports. The measure only permits non-smokable forms of cannabis.
Sen. Jerry Hill (D), the lead sponsor of the legislation, said the bill “makes it easier” for students “to get the medicine they need without disrupting their school.” Under the current state’s laws, students cannot bring medical cannabis within 1,000 feet of campus and parents must come to the school, pick up their child to administer medical cannabis and bring them back. Hill called the process “disruptive” adding that “every child is entitled to an uninterrupted education.”
“Existing law allows schools to legally administer any pharmaceutical drug, including opioids, that a child has been prescribed. But there are medical conditions pharmaceuticals can’t fix, and they often have debilitating side effects. In some of these cases, medical cannabis is highly effective.” – Hill, in a statement, via the Desert Sun
A similar measure passed both the Assembly and Senate last year but was vetoed by then-Governor Jerry Brown. The new version of the bill still needs approval from the Senate before moving to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi voted against the proposal, calling it “crossing what should be a bright line” in keeping cannabis out of schools, according to an ABC 7 report.
Under the bill, parents would have to administer medical cannabis to their children but it does allow school boards leeway in allowing trained staff, such as school nurses, to dose medical cannabis products to students.
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