Olympia, WA: Democrat Gov. Christine Gregoire signed legislation into law last week that expands the state’s nearly twelve-year-old medical marijuana law.
Senate Bill 5798 allows additional health care professionals including naturopaths, physician’s assistants, osteopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians assistants, and advanced registered nurse practitioners to legally recommend marijuana therapy to their patients. Presently, only licensed physicians may legally recommend medicinal cannabis.
Washington is the first state to codify these recommendation rights into law.
“This measure further legitimizes cannabis as a therapeutic tool for health professionals,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “Many rural patients are more likely to have access to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant than a physician. By giving nurse practitioners and physician assistants the ability to provide the proper documentation for the medical use of marijuana, this provides them greater access to the care patients need.”
Senate Bill 5798 takes effect on June 10, 2010.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.