Medical Cannabis Bill For Students Enters Washington Senate

A bipartisan bill to allow qualified students in the state of Washington to consume cannabis oil at school has made its way through the House of Representatives and is currently under consideration in the Senate.

The bill, HB1095 received its first reading in the Senate on Thursday after passing the House with a 77 to 19 vote on Tuesday.

Representative Brian Blake [D-Aberdeen] pre-filed the bill in December.

Schools have been allowed to accommodate parents who wish to administer medical cannabis to their students ever since Washington’s medical and recreational laws merged in 2015, but they have not been required to do so.

Under HB1095, a school district’s board of directors would be required to honor the requests of parents and guardians of school-aged medical cannabis patients and adopt a policy permitting them to administer cannabis oil on school grounds, on a school bus, or while they are attending a school-sponsored event.

School staff would not be allowed to administer medical cannabis to any student.

The bill would require a school to identify areas where parents and guardians may administer cannabis oil. Smoking and other methods of cannabis inhalation would not be permitted on school grounds, buses, or at events.