Mississippi Lawmakers Approve Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals For Terminally Ill Patients

Mississippi lawmakers have approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to access medical marijuana in hospitals, nursing facilities and hospice centers.

As state legislatures across the country consider a variety of similar proposals, the Mississippi House Public Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday took a step to advance the reform, recommending the passage of HB 1034 from Rep. Kevin Felsher (R).

Known as “Ryan’s Law,” an acknowledgement of a young cannabis patient who passed and whose father has since become an advocate for access in hospital settings, the bill is meant to “support the ability of terminally ill qualifying patients to safely use medical cannabis within specified health care facilities.”

It would require hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and hospice centers to “allow terminally ill qualifying patients in the facility to use medical cannabis” in forms other than smoking or vaping.

There’s also another carve-out in the legislation stipulating that, if a federal agency such as the Justice Department or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes enforcement action against a health facility over the cannabis policy change or issues guidance explicitly prohibiting the reform from being implemented, that facility may suspend compliance with the state law until the federal issue is resolved.

Short of that, under the Mississippi proposal, patients or their caregivers would be “responsible for acquiring, retrieving, administering and removing medical cannabis,” the legislation summary says. Medical marijuana products would need to be “stored securely at all times in a locked container in the patient’s room or other designated area.”

Health professionals and facility staff would be prohibited from administering or retrieving the cannabis from storage. And after a patient is discharged, “all remaining medical cannabis must be removed by the patient or patient’s designated caregiver.”

Activists hope to see the law widely enacted across the U.S. to ensure that patients, particularly those with terminal illnesses, are able to legally utilize cannabis. California and Minnesota have already moved forward with the policy change.

A Washington State House Committee also approved a bill to let terminally ill patients use medical cannabis in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices this month.

A Senate panel in Delaware, meanwhile, took testimony on a bill to enact a similar marijuana reform in that state.

In a recent setback, however, a South Dakota legislative committee rejected a bill that would have allowed such patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals or hospices.

—Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

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Back in Mississippi, last year members of an Indian tribe in the state approved a referendum to legalize marijuana within its territory.

Medical cannabis was legalized in Mississippi in 2022, but marijuana remains prohibited for adult use.

Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.