Virginia soon to expand Medical Marijuana

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on February 11, 2018.

Virginia would soon expand the use of marijuana for qualified patients in the state after the Senate passed the legislation with unanimous support on Monday, three days after its companion bill was approved by the House of Delegates.

SB 726, which was passed 38-0 on Monday, would allow doctors to recommend cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oils to treat the symptoms of diagnosed conditions or diseases determined by the physicians. HB 1251 was approved 98-0 on last Friday.

The chief sponsors of SB 726 were Republican Sens. Siobhan Dunnavant of Henrico and Jill Holtzman Vogel of Fauquier and Democratic Sen. David Marsden of Fairfax.

“This culminates four years of effort that has evolved from an effort to make it lawful for kids who have intractable epilepsy to possess non-psychoactive cannabis oils to the creation of a new industry in the Commonwealth that doctors can recommend these oils for treating any condition where they might be helpful,” said Senator Dave Marsden, chief co-sponsor for the Senate bill.

“This is a big deal for people who suffer from a number of disorders and I am proud to have gotten this ball rolling years ago,” he added.

The bill now heads to Governor Ralph Northam's desk, a Democrat and physician, who earlier said he would sign such a measure into law.

If the bill approved, Virginia would become the 29th state to allow medical marijuana. Three U.S. territories also have a similar policy.

In 2017, former Governor Terry McAuliffe signed legislation for patients with severe forms of epilepsy to use cannabis oil to alleviate symptoms.

comments powered by Disqus