For Real?

[gypski]

Just found this on another site. Is it now law since the senate passed it?

The Senate also expanded the classifications of people who can authorize medical marijuana. Along with physicians, SB 5798 would allow nurse practitioners and naturopaths to authorize marijuana if it would help their patients. It passed 37-11. :thumbsup:

gypski Reviewed by gypski on 02-05-2010. For Real? Just found this on another site. Is it now law since the senate passed it? The Senate also expanded the classifications of people who can authorize medical marijuana. Along with physicians, SB 5798 would allow nurse practitioners and naturopaths to authorize marijuana if it would help their patients. It passed 37-11. :thumbsup: Rating: 5

[killerweed420]

Yep just passed great news.
SB 5798 - 2009-10
It allows PAC's to know sign off which is great news. Should be a lot more authorizations signed now.
Here's the voting:
SSB 5798
Medical marijuana
Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage
2/5/2010

Yeas: 37 Nays: 11 Absent: 0 Excused: 1

Voting Yea: Senators Becker, Berkey, Brandland, Brown, Carrell, Delvin, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Gordon, Hatfield, Hewitt, Hobbs, Jacobsen, Kastama, Kauffman, Keiser, Kilmer, King, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Marr, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDermott, Murray, Oemig, Parlette, Pflug, Prentice, Pridemore, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, Shin, and Tom
Voting Nay: Senators Benton, Hargrove, Haugen, Honeyford, Morton, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli
Absent:
Excused: Senator Holmquist

And I see my senator voted against it so Iguess I better send nasty email off to him. He's ex police so I guess thats just the way things fly with bigots.

[mugenbao]

Passed the Senate, still has to go through the House and on to be signed into law. It's looking pretty hopeful, but it could still be killed by the House or the Governor, though I doubt that last one will happen.

Senate Bill 5798 passed by a convincing vote of 37-11, and now goes to the Washington House of Representatives for consideration

[surfj9009]

Update from the link above, (March 3rd in the House):

"Third reading, passed; yeas, 58; nays, 40; absent, 0; excused, 0"

Now am I correct in reading that this passed the house and now only needs signature by the Governor?

[mugenbao]

Now am I correct in reading that this passed the house and now only needs signature by the Governor?

I believe that's correct.

The summary of the final bill, as passed by the House on Mar 3, can be found here.

Summary of Bill:

The list of professionals who may authorize the use of medical marijuana is expanded to physicians, osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, osteopathic physician assistants, naturopaths, and advanced registered nurse practitioners.

For the purposes of the Act, all instances of the term "physician" are replaced with the term "health care professional." A health care professional is defined as a physician, osteopathic physician, physician assistant, osteopathic physician assistant, naturopath, or advanced registered nurse practitioner.

A health care professional who authorizes the use of marijuana on or after the effective date of this act must do so on tamper resistant paper approved by the Board of Pharmacy. Copies of an authorization or a patient's medical records are no longer valid documentation.

Note the addition of the requirement to use "tamper resistant paper".

[gypski]

Copies of an authorization or a patient's medical records are no longer valid documentation.

Does this mean all new authorizations or only those after the signing of this bill?

[mugenbao]

Copies of an authorization or a patient's medical records are no longer valid documentation.

Does this mean all new authorizations or only those after the signing of this bill?

Only those that are given on or after the date when the bill goes into effect.

[mugenbao]

Copies of an authorization or a patient's medical records are no longer valid documentation.

I really have to wonder at the specific meaning and purpose of this ammendment. Does that mean that the patient's copy of an authorization, which is often posted clearly within the patient's home, is no longer valid?

So... What? We need to post the original? If that's correct, it might have a chilling effect on the use of designated providers, as it seems likely that they also would not be able to simply post a copy of the authorization alongside the designated provider form, which I believe is common practice. And there's no way in hell I'm trusting any third party with the original. Not to mention the fact that there are good and valid reasons for the actual patient to have and display the copy, which reduces the chance of loss or damage to the original.

[killerweed420]

Yeah this isn't making any sense. Tamper proof like a pharmacy prescription? How is that even close to tamper proof? Leave it up to the knuckleheads to just cloud the issue up even worse.

[mugenbao]

I may have been wrong on the procedure... According to an article on Toke of the Town -

The House added two amendments on how medical marijuana recommendations should be written, so the bill will first go back to the Senate for approval, then on to Gov. Gregoire for her signature.