A Louisiana Senate panel has advanced a bill to allow patients with terminal and irreversible conditions to use medical marijuana in hospitals.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved the legislation, SB 270 from Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews (D), with amendments, in a voice vote on Wednesday.
“This bill was brought at the request of constituents who believe that therapeutic medical marijuana, which is already legal in this state, should be offered in hospitals when patients are terminally ill or otherwise in need the comfort of this medicine,” Jackson-Andrews said ahead of the vote.
Under the proposal, hospitals would have to create written guidelines allowing covered patients to consume medical cannabis on-site in forms other than smoking or vaping.
Under an amendment adopted by the panel, emergency or outpatient departments would be exempted from the policy. The revised legislation also clarifies that patients and primary caregivers are responsible for acquiring and administering medical marijuana, which must be “stored securely at all times in a locked container provided by the patient.”
Health care professionals and staff would be prohibited from “administering, storing, retrieving, or assisting the patient with the medical marijuana,” the text says.
The amendment, which the sponsor worked on with
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