Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) signed “Bob’s Bill” into law yesterday, allowing terminally ill adults and terminally ill patients under 18 with pain, anxiety, or depression to apply for medical marijuana cards, The News Journal reports.
The bill gets its namesake from Robert Jester, a Delaware man who was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2014. Due to the state’s medical marijuana program restrictions, Jester was unable to apply for a medical marijuana card, instead relying on cannabis oil from his wife who had a medical marijuana card to treat fibromyalgia pain.
The cannabis therapies seemed to work — Jester was eating again and his tumor had shrunk by one-third. However, once his oncologist discovered he was using the oils illegally, the treatments were shut down and Jester was back on opioid-based painkillers. Jester passed on Jan. 7.
His son, Rich Jester, lobbied the government to make the change hoping that others with a terminal illness will find some relief.
“Ultimately this is the best way I could think of to honor his memory,” Jester said during a press conference.
Under Delaware’s 2011 medical cannabis law anyone can petition to add new conditions to the list of those approved by the Health Department.