Colorado Committee Passes Measure to Allow Medical Cannabis Use in Schools
Colorado’s House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee has voted 10 to 3 to pass a bill that would allow students who are medical cannabis patients to use their medicine while at school.
Last year lawmakers in Colorado passed a bill that allowed school districts to create policies surrounding the use of medical cannabis on school premises. However, the law didn’t require districts to allow its use, as this new measure does (currently just one school district in Colorado – Falcon School District 49 in El Paso County – has begun the process of enacting a medical cannabis policy).
Under the proposed law, if a district doesn’t enact a policy allowing medical cannabis to be used by students on school grounds, then a parent or legal guardian would be allowed to come and administer the medicine for them; schools wouldn’t be able to ban medical cannabis use outright.
“Kids shouldn’t have to choose between their medicine and going to school,” says Representative Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont), the bill’s primary sponsor.
House Bill 1373 now heads towards a full Senate vote.