Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill to amend state law to allow students to use cannabis medicine at school. The House voted 95 to 1, and the Senate unanimously voted 40 to 0 in favor of the bill on Saturday.
SB1632, which was introduced by Senator Glen Sturtevant [R] in early January, would require local school boards to adopt and implement policies to allow students with written certification to use cannabidiol (CBD) oil or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oil while on campus.
The patient can consume both CBD and THC-A without them experiencing psychoactive effects.
The bill would also protect nurses employed by the school board or anyone else hired or contracted to deliver health-related services from being prosecuted for possessing or distributing CBD or THC-A oils.
The bill would require the Department of Health Professions to coordinate with the Department of Education to develop a standardized form to be completed by the issuing physician and the dispensing pharmaceutical processor.
In 2015, Virginia lawmakers passed legislation to allow certified patients with intractable epilepsy to use CBD and THC-A oils. In 2018, legislators passed SB726 which expanded medical cannabis access by giving physicians the freedom to recommend CBD and THC-A to any patient they believe could benefit from its use.
