Oregon Legislature Sends Bill (Ryan’s Law) to Governor Requiring Care Facilities to Allow Medical Marijuana Use
- The Oregon legislature passed Ryan’s Law (HB 4142), requiring certain care facilities to permit qualified medical marijuana patients to use marijuana on-site, with rules for storage, administration, staff training, and patient safety.
- The bill mandates facilities designated as additional caregivers to have written policies on handling medical marijuana and requires direct care staff to complete training on marijuana pharmacology and safe administration before providing care.
- Hospitals, hospital-affiliated clinics, certain residential treatment homes, home health agencies, and hospice programs are exempt from these new requirements; the bill also broadens eligibility for medical marijuana by adding hospice, palliative, and symptom management care as qualifying conditions.
- Upon signing, the law's core provisions take effect January 1, 2027, with deadlines for policy implementation and staff training later that year, aiming to improve medical marijuana access specifically for patients in care settings facing barriers.
Oregon lawmakers have sent Ryan’s Law to the governor, following approval in the House and Senate. The measure, passed by the House 39 to 3 and by the Senate 20 to 8, would require certain care facilities to allow qualified patients to use medical marijuana on-site while also establishing rules for storage, administration, staff training and patient safety. The proposal, known in the bill text as Ryan’s Law, would make several changes to Oregon’s medical marijuana system, with much of the focus placed on patients living in care settings such as certain residential facilities and organizations that serve people with serious medical needs. The measure would require an organization or residential facility designated as an additional caregiver for a medical marijuana patient to allow qualifying patients or residents to use medical marijuana on the premises.
The bill also says these facilities would need to create and maintain a written policy covering how marijuana and medical cannabinoid products are obtained, stored on-site, administered and disposed of. That policy would need to include clear handling protocols, patient safety standards for storage and administration, and rules for properly disposing of unused products.
In addition, direct care staff working in these settings would need to complete training on marijuana pharmacology, the use of marijuana and cannabinoid products for treating medical conditions, dosing strategies and delivery methods, and how to identify possible contraindications or drug interactions. The training would need to be completed before staff provide direct care to a patient or resident engaging in medical marijuana use under the law.
The measure does not apply equally to every health-related setting. Hospitals and hospital-affiliated clinics designated as additional caregivers would be exempt from these new policy and training requirements. The same is true for certain residential treatment homes or facilities, home health agencies and hospice programs that provide home health care services in a home health care setting.
HB 4142 would also expand Oregon’s definition of a debilitating medical condition for purposes of medical marijuana eligibility. In addition to the conditions already recognized under state law, the bill would add the need for hospice, palliative care, comfort care or other symptom management, including comprehensive pain management. That change would broaden the pool of patients who may qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.
Another provision would provide additional legal protections for facilities involved in authorized medical marijuana care. Organizations and residential facilities designated as additional caregivers would be exempt from certain state criminal penalties tied to possession, delivery or manufacture of marijuana when acting within the medical marijuana law. The bill also says the Oregon State Board of Nursing could not discipline a nurse simply for discussing the medical use of marijuana with a patient.
To use medical marijuana under the new facility-related provisions, a patient or resident would need to either already hold a registry identification card or have applied for one and possess a receipt issued within the previous 35 days.
If signed into law, the core provisions of the bill would become operative on January 1, 2027. Before then, the Oregon Health Authority would be allowed to begin conditionally designating qualifying organizations or residential facilities as additional caregivers. Those facilities would be required to have the written policy in place by June 30, 2027, and make the required staff training available by December 31, 2027. Facilities that fail to meet those deadlines could lose their designation.
Oregon first legalized medical marijuana in 1998 through Ballot Measure 67, becoming one of the earlier states to establish a medical marijuana program. Voters later approved recreational marijuana legalization in 2014 through Measure 91, with licensed adult-use sales launching in 2016. Even with a broader legal marijuana system already in place, House Bill 4142 is focused specifically on medical access, particularly for patients in care environments who may face added barriers when trying to use marijuana for symptom relief.
Based on the bill text you uploaded.