California Assembly Passes Bill to Permit Students to use Medicinal Cannabis in Public Schools
Legislators in California are obeying the calls of parents and caretakers of children who use medical marijuana. For decades, parents have denounced the fact that California law restricts the use of medical cannabis on or within 1,000 feet of the public schoolyard. Recently, lawmakers of the state of California agreed to change that, accepting a bill that would permit parents to give their children medicinal marijuana on school grounds. The law doesn’t restrict specific types of cannabis a parent or guardian can provide to their children. Thus, it would leave the decision in the hands of permitting or limiting medical marijuana in the hands of individual school districts.
Jojo’s Act Heads to Governor Jerry Brown
Jojo’s act also known as SB1127 is a bill named after the San Francisco High School student who inspired it. Similar to other students in California, that student had to boycott school to receive medical cannabis treatment. Students who are suffering from epilepsy or other critical clinical needs had no choice.
Parents and students usually say how upsetting it was respecting the law. Grownups, parents should arrive in class, take their children to distant areas and give them their dose of medical marijuana then return them to school. The specifications also stopped the utilization of marijuana as a “rescue drug” to prevent or reduce seizures experienced by students while at school.
However, students were becoming rowdy which is the reason why medical marijuana was prohibited at school campuses. State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) is the official sponsor of the bill. According to him, the legislation is fair for both parties. After the Senate approved SB 1127, it passed in the assembly 42-20 on Monday. Currently, Jojo’s Act will need to be approved by the head to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.
Schools in California can still opt out of the No Smoking or Vaping Policy
Jojo’s Act would allow parents to give medical cannabis to their children on the school campus. However, if the governing body of the school does not accept to adopt this explicit policy, then the parents won’t be allowed to give their children medical marijuana on campus. This means that the Jojo’s Act won’t agree that schools should allow their students to receive medical cannabis treatments on campus. This policy gives schools the choice of allowing or disallowing medical marijuana if they wish. And it could be revoked at any time.
Moreover, the bill bans all medical cannabis infused product that a student smokes or vapes. Mostly oral and topical medications will be permitted on school campuses. However, before a student can receive medical marijuana at school, he or she must be a certified patient under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. This means that parents should stop using any form of medical cannabis from school campuses. Schools are not allowed to keep any medical cannabis products for students on site.
It’s not obvious if the bill passes, will California schools be quick enough to adopt the new policy. Most schools are still uncertain about allowing cannabis at their campuses for any reason. However, the opinion of the public is shifting, carrying changes in the legislature with it.
During the past weeks, a judge in California authorized one school district to allow a 5-year-old kindergartener with Dravet syndrome called Brooke Adams to carry and utilize medical marijuana at school. The decree still awaits a final decision in November, however, changing the medical cannabis rules in California could help uphold it.
