Maine Committee Passes Legislation to Prevent Medical Marijuana Patients from Being Denied Organ Transplants
A key committee in Maine has given approval to legislation designed to protect medical cannabis patients from being denied organ transplants.
LD 764 has been given approval by the Join Standing Committee on Health and Human Services with a close 7 to 6 vote. According to its summary, “This bill prohibits the medical use of marijuana from being the sole disqualifying factor in determining a person’s suitability for receiving an anatomical gift.” The measure was filed by State Representative Deborah Sanderson (R) along with eight bipartisan cosponsors.
Below is the full text of the one-page measure:
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows
Sec. 1.22 MRSA §2423-E, sub-§10 is enacted to read:
10.Receiving an anatomical gift. A qualifying patient’s medical use of marijuana may not be the sole disqualifying factor in determining the qualifying patient’s suitability for receiving an anatomical gift. For the purposes of this subsection, “anatomical gift” has the same meaning as in section 2942, subsection 2
If LD 764 becomes law, Maine would become the eight state to protect medical cannabis patients from being denied organ transplants based solely on their use of medical cannabis.