Delaware legislation that significantly expands access to medical marijuana officially takes effect today.
House Bill 285 removes the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, allowing physicians to recommend the medicine for any condition they deem appropriate. In addition, the new law allows those aged 65 and older to self-certify themselves as medical marijuana patients, meaning they are not required to receive a recommendation from a healthcare professional in order to become a medical marijuana patient.
The new law also allows physicians to issue two or three year medical marijuana cards, whereas before they were 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 in the Senate in March, with the vote being 16 to 5. The measure was signed into law by Governor Carney in May.
“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 HB 285 recognizes the need to remove outdated restrictions and breaks down the barriers that hinder patients who could truly benefit from improved access to medical marijuana.”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).
