Medical Cannabis In Schools Under Consideration In Proposed New York Bill

Two new bills in New York are set to further the cannabis legalization campaign. One of these bills reportedly seeks to allow the administration of medical cannabis in schools, while the other seeks to allow patients to smoke pot. Both of these activities are currently illegal in the state.

Medical marijuana is already legal in New York, but there are restrictions. There are two pre-filed pieces of legislation in the Senate that seek to expand the use of cannabis. According to a report by Marijuana Moment, Senator Brian Benjamin has proposed a new legislation that will allow the administration of cannabis for medical purposes in schools.

The education bill, dubbed Tanshin’s Law, will allow designated caregivers to administer cannabis on school grounds, on a school bus and at school-sponsored events. The school administration will ensure that the student getting cannabis is actually a registered patient who is in need of the drug. The prohibition on smoking or vaping of the drug will continue to be banned under the bill.

The other bill sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera seeks to remove the section of the current law that prohibits the smoking of marijuana by registered patients. While this change will allow registered patients to smoke cannabis, a new section will be added to ensure that smoking pot will continue to be banned in public places where a ban on tobacco is already in place. This ban on smoking will be for all forms of cannabis.

New York is not alone in trying to allow the administration of cannabis in school campuses. Washington and Virginia also have such legislations prepared. While states like Colorado, Florida, and Illinois already passed laws with these provisions, others like California have not yet been successful.

This trend of allowing medical cannabis on school grounds is expected to continue in 2019. Joining the ranks of states that have legalized medical marijuana may be South Carolina. According to Herald Online, a new poll revealed that there is an overwhelming majority of people in the state that support the legalization of the drug. According to the survey, 72 percent of 400 South Carolinians polled reportedly support the change in law on this issue.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has also voiced his support for reclassifying marijuana, which is currently a Schedule I substance at the Federal level, Forbes reported. The surgeon general felt that the change will help researchers study cannabis like any other pain relief drug.