Parents of children battling chronic illnesses are heaving a sigh of relief in Washington as the proposal allowing parents to administer limited forms of marijuana to their children on school premises has passed the state Senate on a 41-4 vote, with strong support from other conservatives.
The bill, which bans smoking pot and products high in the psychoactive compound THC, would allow parents to take marijuana-infused products inside the school property. This would remove nurses out of the equation and put guardians in complete control of their child’s health.
Since both CBD and THC are there in almost all cannabis strains, most of the medical strains of the plant are bred in such a way that they have little or none of the psychoactive compound.
The bill, however, also boasts a ‘trigger clause’ that would revoke the new rules if federal officials were to threaten schools’ funding over the issue.
“These families need our help. I think it’s worth any risk that may be there,” Sen. Curtis King, a Yakima Republican was quoted as saying.
Not just medical marijuana in schools, but a bill proposing changes to state marijuana testing rules has also passed the Senate via a 44-1 vote.
Under current Washington law, the state Liquor and Cannabis Board is tasked with overseeing lab certifications. However, a 2018 Washington Department of Ecology report found gaps in testing and accreditation rules, including a dearth of detailed standards for labs.
Therefore, under the new bill, the Department of Ecology will take over the responsibility of overseeing marijuana labs. Furthermore, work groups would be set up to study the presence of molds, pesticides and other adulterants in marijuana.
The proposal needs the Ecology Department to issue drafts of the new lab standards in 2020 and 2021.
Notably, both bills had earlier passed House votes, implying that they now return to the House for final approval of amendments.
