Legislation that would make several changes to Delaware’s medical marijuana law has been passed by the full legislature and sent to Governor John Carney.
House Bill 285 would remove the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, allowing physicians to recommend the medicine for any condition they deem appropriate. In addition, the proposal would allow those aged 65 and older to self-certify themselves as medical marijuana patients. This means they would not be required to receive a recommendation from a healthcare professional in order to become a medical marijuana patient.
HB 285 would also allow physicians to issue two or three year medical marijuana cards, whereas currently they are restricted to issuing just one-year cards.
After being passed by the House of Representatives in January by a vote of 26 to 10, the measure was given final approval today in the Senate, with the vote being 16 to 5. This sends the bill to Governor Carney, who can sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
“Following our successful passage of the Delaware Marijuana Control Act last year, establishing a framework for the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana use in our state, we have actively engaged with and taken feedback from medical marijuana patients”, says Representative Ed Osienski, the bill’s prime sponsor. “Drawing from their insights, we identified numerous ways to improve our medical marijuana program. HB 285 recognizes the need to remove outdated restrictions and breaks down the barriers that hinder patients who could truly benefit from improved access to medical marijuana.”
The view the full text of HB 285, click here (PDF).
