A bill that would allow parents to bring and administer medical marijuana on school grounds for their kids is making its way through the state legislature.
Supporters of the bill claim that this bill gives recognition to children who suffer from severe seizure disorders. They would be able to benefit from Cannabidiol (CBD), an oil form of cannabis with trace amounts of THC. Routines for CBD require dosages throughout the day to control symptoms, otherwise, the effects would wear off.
Due to current laws, medical or recreational marijuana cannot be used within 1,000 feet of a school. That means parents who children with a disorder would have to drive 1,000 feet away from the school in order to give their child a dosage.
The bill, also known as Jojo's Act, is attempting to make it easier for parents to provide school children with medical marijuana.
It would allow schools to adopt a policy, with specific requirements, allowing parents of a student to possess or administer medical marijuana on school grounds. The bill does not allow parents statewide to do this; it only allows school boards to adopt a policy that would allow parents to do so.
This policy would:
- Allow parents to give medicinal marijuana to a student at a school site if that student is a qualified patient.
- Require parents to give the medical marijuana in a way that is not disruptive to the educational environment
- Require parents to remove the medical marijuana from the school site after use
- Requires parents to sign-in on the campus
- Require a written medical recommendation for medicinal cannabis for the student and requires the school to keep that record on file
- Allow the local governing school board to rescind the policy, for reasons including, but not limited to, risk of losing of federal funding
The policy would not:
- Require school staff to administer medical marijuana
- Allow smokeable or vapable marijuana to administered
Additionally, student records in accordance with the policy are confidential. They can only be used for administering medical marijuana to students.
In early August, the California Police Chief’s Association and the Association of California School Administrators opposed the bill.
The Association of California School Administrators opposed the bill because it would allow a federally illegal substance to be given on campus and violate drug-free school zone requirements. The California Police Chief’s Association had said the bill could be taken advantage of and potentially expose students to other marijuana products.