Delaware Bill to Expand Medical Cannabis Access Moves to Governor

The Delaware Senate on Thursday approved a bill to expand medical cannabis access by allowing healthcare providers to determine whether their patients can benefit from medical cannabis and permitting individuals 65-and-older to self-certify their medical conditions to obtain a program certification, the Delaware News Journal reports.

The bill was approved by the state House of Representatives in January and, with Senate passage, moves to Gov. John Carney (D) for final approval.

In a statement, Sen. Kyra Hoffner (D), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the “changes will allow healthcare providers to make sound decisions about which treatments best fit their patients, and make those treatments more readily accessible to people who need them the most.”

If approved by the governor, the measure would end requirements that patients must suffer from one of more than a dozen qualifying conditions to access the state’s medical cannabis program; eliminate the CBD-rich and compassionate use programs currently used to treat conditions outside of the specific qualifying conditions for medical cannabis; allow the state Department of Health and Social Services to issue registry cards that are valid for up to three years, and allow the issuance of permanent cards to patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses; and allow reciprocity for medical cannabis patients from other states or U.S. territories.

The medical cannabis expansion bill comes nearly a year after lawmakers legalized cannabis for adult use. Carney allowed that bill to become law without his signature.