Virginia "Let Doctors Decide" Medical Marijuana Bill Takes Historic Step: Bill Passes Virginia Senate
Thanks to all our volunteer advocates who made their voices heard in 2017 and 2018 in support of this effort!
On Monday, the Virginia Senate voted unanimously to pass the Joint Commission on Healthcare bill SB 726, which will let Virginia doctors recommend the use of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil for the treatment of any diagnosed condition or disease.
This comes on the heels of last Friday's unanimous passing of the companion bill, HB 1251, in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Since the bills are identical, the steps forward are largely procedural: the bills will "crossover" to the opposite house for a vote, before heading to Governor Northam's desk for signature. Governor Ralph Northam, also a doctor, is already on record in support of Let Doctors Decide medical marijuana laws in the Commonwealth. Passage of this historic legislation would make Virginia the first state with a hyper-restrictive program to adopt such a broad expansion.
"Honestly, until this week, I've always thought of it helping my patients that have breast cancer, especially the young ones that have children and have so many things to get done but feel so terrible as they go through chemotherapy," said state Senator Siobhan Dunnavant, MD.
