Rhode Island Bill to Require Certain Healthcare Facilities to Allow Terminally Ill Patients to Use Medical Marijuana Scheduled for April 9 Public Hearing
- A Rhode Island bill, Senate Bill 2872, proposes requiring healthcare facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana while receiving care.
- The bill prohibits smoking and vaping inside facilities, requires marijuana use to be documented in medical records, and allows reasonable restrictions such as locked storage of products.
- Patients must present a valid ID alongside a medical marijuana card or physician’s recommendation to use medical marijuana in these facilities.
- The legislation includes federal protections, allowing suspension if federal enforcement occurs, but prohibits denying access solely due to marijuana’s Schedule I status under federal law.
(Photo credit: Sasha Beck/Leafly).
A Rhode Island bill filed in March would require certain healthcare facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana while receiving care, creating a new set of statewide protections for patients near the end of life.
Senate Bill 2872, filed March 4, is scheduled for a public hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 9. The proposal, titled the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act, was introduced by a group of 10 Democratic senators.
If enacted, the measure would require healthcare facilities to allow the use of medical marijuana by terminally ill patients, while also placing limits on how it can be used. The bill would prohibit smoking and vaping inside covered facilities, require the marijuana use to be included in the patient’s medical record, and allow facilities to impose reasonable restrictions on storage and use, including requiring products to be kept in a locked container.
Patients would also need to provide a valid identification card along with either a medical marijuana card or written documentation from a physician recommending the use of medical marijuana.
The legislation says healthcare facilities would need to develop and distribute written guidelines for how medical marijuana may be used within the facility. At the same time, it makes clear that facilities would not be required to recommend medical marijuana to patients or include it in a discharge plan.
The bill also includes federal protections. A facility could suspend compliance if a federal agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes enforcement action or explicitly bars compliance with a state-regulated medical marijuana program. However, the legislation says a facility could not deny patient access solely because marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under federal law.
The proposal would take effect immediately upon passage.