In states with medicinal marijuana laws, young patients who rely on cannabis medicine every day are, at-times faced with the dilemma of not having access to it at school because the substance is usually banned there unless relevant legislation has been enacted.
A growing number of states, including California, Illinois, and Colorado, have responded to the issue by proposing or passing regulations to permit students to have their cannabis medicine administered to them at school by a nurse, parent, or caregiver, depending on the law.
Washington Representative Brian Blake [D] pre-filed a bill last month to amend the state’s current laws to allow parents and guardians of school-aged cannabis patients to administer their medicine to them on school grounds, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event. Inhaled forms of cannabis would not be permitted.
According to HB1060, upon the request of a parent or guardian of a qualified student, schools would be required to adopt a policy to accommodate their medicinal cannabis use and identify areas on school grounds where it may be administered.
The bill states that those who “use or display medical marijuana in a manner or place which is open to the view of the general public” are subject to a class 3 civil infraction which comes with a $50 fine at the court’s discretion.
HB1060 implements protections for students, parents, guardians, school employees, school district officials, and volunteers from arrest and prosecution.
