![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-112.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A California senator is asking the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide clarification on whether hospitals and other healthcare facilities in legal marijuana states can allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis without jeopardizing federal funding.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Ben Hueso (D) on Thursday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure inquiring about the policy. Confusion about possible implications for permitting marijuana consumption in health facilities led pro-legalization Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to veto a bill meant to address the issue in 2019.<\/p>\n
Hueso refiled a nearly identical version of the legislation<\/a> for this session, and it\u2019s already passed the full Senate and one Assembly committee. It\u2019s now awaiting action on the Assembly floor before potentially being sent to Newsom\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n I’m respectfully requesting that CMS & HHS provide clarification assuring Medicare\/Medicaid providers they won’t lose reimbursements for allowing #medicalcannabis<\/a> use on their premises. This would go a long way to help hospital staff, security &, above all, patients. @SecBecerra<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Zh9CJtujxc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Senator Ben Hueso (@SenBenHueso) July 29, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cRyan\u2019s Law would require that hospitals and certain types of healthcare facilities in the State of California allow a terminally-ill patient to use medical cannabis for treatment and\/or pain relief,\u201d the senator wrote in the letter to the federal officials, with whom he is asking to meet to discuss the issue. \u201cCurrently, whether or not medical cannabis is permitted is left up to hospital policy, and this creates issues for patients and their families who seek alternative, more natural medication options in their final days.\u201d<\/p>\n Hospitals that receive CMS accreditation are generally expected to comply with local, state and federal laws in order to qualify for certain reimbursements. And so because marijuana remains federally illegal, \u201cmany healthcare facilities have adopted policies prohibiting cannabis on their grounds out of a perceived risk of losing federal funding if they were to allow it.\u201d<\/p>\n But Hueso said that his office received a letter from CMS several months ago stating that there are no specific federal regulations in place that specifically address this issue and that it isn\u2019t aware of any cases where funding has been pulled because a hospital allows patients to use medical cannabis.<\/p>\n \u2014 Additionally, because the Justice Department has been barred under annually renewed spending legislation from using its funds to interfere in the implementation of state-level medical marijuana programs, the senator said, \u201cwe believe the risk of federal intervention is little to none.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis confirmation from CMS been quite a breakthrough and we are optimistic it will alleviate the Governor\u2019s concerns,\u201d the letter continues. \u201cHowever, I want to underscore that, prior to receiving this response, even the Governor of California was under the impression that CMS rules prohibited hospitals and healthcare facilities from allowing medical cannabis use.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUndoubtedly other states are struggling with this issue, too,\u201d it says. \u201cAs more states decriminalize cannabis and even create recreational markets, we must not forget to also update the books for the most important consumers of all\u2014patients.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile ideally the federal government will remove cannabis from its Schedule I designation, I appreciate that this is a lengthy and complex process. In the interim, it would be extremely helpful if you could provide clarification that assures Medicare\/Medicaid providers that they will not lose reimbursements for allowing medical cannabis use on their premises. This clarification would go a long way to help hospital staff, security, above all, patients.\u201d<\/p>\n Becerra, while previously serving as California attorney general and as a member of Congress, demonstrated a track record of supporting marijuana law reform<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are efforts in both chambers of Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are currently soliciting feedback on draft legalization legislation they introduced<\/a> this month.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0a separate House bill to federally legalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0and promote social equity in the industry was reintroduced in May.<\/p>\n The legislation, sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), was filed with a number of changes compared to the version that was\u00a0approved by the chamber last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read the letter from the California senator to Becerra below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Marijuana hospital letter t\u2026<\/a> by Marijuana Moment<\/a><\/p>\n Rhode Island House Speaker Says \u2018No Consensus\u2019 On Marijuana Legalization, But It\u2019s \u2018Workable\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n The post California Senator Seeks Federal Clarification On Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A California senator is asking the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide clarification on whether hospitals and other healthcare facilities in legal marijuana states can allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis without jeopardizing federal funding. State Sen. Ben Hueso (D) onContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":49174,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49173"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49175,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49173\/revisions\/49175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,200 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-111.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nRead More: California Senator Seeks Federal Clarification On Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"