A key legislative committee in Delaware has given approval to legislation that would greatly expand the number of people eligible to become medical marijuana patients.
Delaware’s House Health & Human Development Committee passed House Bill 285 today. Filed by State Representative Edward Osienski along with a bipartisan group of eight cosponsors, the proposed law would amend the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act by removing the list of qualifying medical conditions. Instead, health-care providers would be authorized to recommend medical marijuana to anyone they feel could benefit from it, regardless of their particular condition.
In addition, the bill would “patients aged 65 and older to self-certify their qualification for a registry identification card without a written certification from a health-care provider.”
The bill authorizes the Department “to issue registry identification cards with 1-, 2-, or 3-year expiration dates. It also requires the issuance of a registry identification card with an indefinite expiration date where the qualifying patient has a terminal illness.”
Finally, the measure would allow individuals with out-of-state registry identification cards or equivalent certifications who would qualify for a registry identification card in Delaware “to use those cards or certifications for any purpose for which the person would be authorized to use a registry identification card issued under this chapter.”
The proposal will need to be passed through the full House of Representatives before it can be Senate and then Governor John Carney.
Earlier this year Delaware became the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older. Being a medical marijuana patient still has its benefits, however, including increased possession limits and being exempt from the state’s 15% marijuana excise tax.
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