Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has signed two important improvements to medical cannabis in the state.
The first bill, known commonly as “Ducky’s Law,” places Washington in a select group of only a handful of states who allow the administration of medical cannabis at schools, on buses, and at school events. Not differentiating between high-THC and high-CBD medical cannabis, the bill allows for “marijuana-infused products” to be administered to students who qualify for medical cannabis and who are registered on the Marijuana Authorization Database.
The bill also expands protections for school employees, students, and parents — but only a parent or guardian registered as a designated provider can administer the cannabis to students in order to avoid prosecutorial conflicts between federal and state law. A fail-safe section was added to the final bill that will stop the implementation of the law if the Federal Government, who still considers cannabis a Schedule I narcotic and therefore may cut funding to state schools.
The second bill, HB 1094, allows medical cannabis patients to renew their annual qualification using telemedicine technology if a medical professional determines an in person physical examination would be harmful. Additionally, these same patients are now exempt from registering in person and taking photographs at retail cannabis shops when registering for the “Marijuana Authorization database”. The bill also eliminates expired provisions requiring health care providers to report the number of authorizations issued throughout the state.
“Ducky’s” law is named after 9-year-old River “Ducky” Barclay, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder. The family discovered CBD helped with her seizures when Ducky was in 2nd grade and started coming to Olympia with her father three years ago to lobby for this bill.
“These two bills really go hand in hand. There are fifty kids on the MAD. Twenty we know of are like Ducky and are practically immobile due to mental and physical trauma caused by traveling. These will help families have better lives, but there is still more to do. Colorado allows nurses to give medical cannabis at schools and that is what we need here in Washington.” — John Barclay, in a phone interview
Father John Barclay said Ducky was too sick to come to the signing but was ecstatic the bill had passed when he told her. Commenting on the bill’s passage, Barclay told KING 5, “it’s humbling and overwhelming.”
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