A bill seeking to allow parents of students who are prescribed medical marijuana products by their physician to apply them at state schools has been introduced into the Washington state House of Representatives.
House Bill 1060 was introduced by 19th District Reps. Jim Walsh and Brian Blake.
Blake said the bill was initiated after a constituent whose daughter suffered from seizures approached him.
The man’s daughter only saw her condition improve after she was prescribed non-narcotic marijuana oil administered every few hours, Blake said.
Applying it at school was difficult since she could not be on school grounds to receive her medication.
Blake’s legislation would mandate that parents or guardians be allowed to administer their children’s medication at the school.
“This isn’t about smokeable marijuana or anything like that,” Blake said.
When it was being drafted, Blake said school districts approached him with concerns about possible theft of medication if they are kept by the school. The current bill is a compromise between the school’s concerns and Blake’s, he said.
Only prescribed medication would be permitted under the bill, and Blake said he believes it’s important for students in the state who require medical marijuana.
“This isn’t about drugs, this is about a child’s medical care, and it appears to me it works and I think we should all support it,” he said.
The bill is currently in the House Healthcare Committee, and Blake hopes it will appear on the Legislature’s floor this session.
