A leading marijuana advocacy group on Tuesday announced a push to ensure that all California medical facilities are prepared for the implementation of a new law requiring them to permit certain patients to use cannabis while in their care. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the legislation—known as “Ryan’s Law” after the patient who inspired the reform—back in September. Now Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is working to give hospitals, doctors, and patients the resources they need to understand the policy and get into compliance. ASA will serve as both an educational source for relevant facilities and practitioners as well as a watchdog for cases of non-compliance. To that end, it distributed an implementation guide to more than 2,000 health care facilities that includes a summary of the law, sample guidelines and policies for hospitals, model waivers for patients and more. “It is our hope that these resources will help healthcare facilities implement this important law for patients,” ASA President Steph Sherer said in a press release. “In our watchdog capacity, ASA will be monitoring to assure state-wide compliance.”Newsom vetoed an earlier version of the Ryan’s Law bill in 2019 out of concerns about potential federal implications for healthcare facilities that permit marijuana use. But he was apparently convinced to move forward this year. Representatives from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the governor’s office reached out to the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ben Hueso (D), to say that they are aware of the issue and are looking into it.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/21/2021 13:36:00