Terminally ill in California can now get medical marijuana in the hospital thanks to the passage of Ryan’s law

The bill, sponsored by Senator Ben Hueso, Ryan’s Law, was finally approved by Governor Gavin Newsom.

This means that dying patients can now be treated with medical marijuana. Medical staff and other skilled healthcare workers can now relieve the pain of these extremely sick Californians in their final months.

Terminally ill patients have had to get their symptoms under control with opiates for a very long time. For some, these opiates are no longer effective in treating their pain, they have had to spend the last few months of their lives in severe pain. Those who received relief from the drug felt its harsh effects, barely awake to enjoy the presence of their family and friends.

Approval of the new medical marijuana law is more than welcome at the California Department of Health. Hospitals and health centers can now provide these patients with much-needed relief through the use of approved medical cannabis drugs.

California’s Cannabis Legislation

California is one of the first US states to legalize the use of medicinal cannabis. The current medical cannabis program has been in use for over 25 years. During this time it is very unfortunate that the patients who needed the drug the most were not allowed to use it.

Senator Hueso described the situation as “unimaginable”. One of the reasons he focused on approving Ryan’s law is because he believes that those who suffer most medically should be first in a line for medical cannabis.

Medical marijuana has been tested and shown to be effective in treating the symptoms of terminal illnesses. So the government doesn’t have a good excuse for delaying the approval of the bill.

Now that the invoice has been approved, it will correct the wrong thing

in the previous bill for medical cannabis. Patients are not forced to consume heavy mind altering drugs such as opiates, which have been shown to be less effective in relieving their symptoms. You also don’t have to commit a crime by illegally buying cannabis.

The backstory behind Ryan’s Law

Ryan’s law is named after the late Ryan Bartell. Ryan died of pancreatic cancer after a long battle. He was a native of California and a Coast Guard veteran before he died in 2018.

For the last few weeks of his life, Ryan was given morphine and fentanyl to relieve his pain, but the medication only let him fall into a deep sleep. His family and friends could not talk to him. After consulting other health centers for days, they decided to take him to a facility that would allow medical cannabis treatment for dying patients.

His family was determined to ensure the perfect quality of life for him in his final days, and he did.

The facility treated him with licensed medicinal cannabis, and during this invaluable end-stage, Ryan enjoyed the benefits of the drugs. He could stay awake and make lasting memories with his family.

Speaking to the media, Ryan’s father, Jim, recalled how fulfilling Ryan’s last days were. He said his son’s experiences with medicinal cannabis are incomparable to those he has had while treating the sharp opiate. He also mentioned how happy he was to look Ryan in the eyes and tell him how much he was loved by family and friends.

Jim Barell became an advocate of medical cannabis because his son couldn’t have enjoyed his last moments without the magical drugs.

Senate Law 311 / Ryan’s Law

The bill was sponsored by South San Diego County Representative Senator Ben Hueso and endorsed by East County Representative Senator Brian Jones.

While the law allows healthcare facilities to treat terminally ill patients with cannabis, it tries as best it can to regulate the way the drug gets into the system.

Patients are prohibited from vaporizing or inhaling the drug, nor can it be given to them as an emergency treatment. Health care workers have a responsibility to ensure that the drug is used safely. Other patients, visitors and staff must not be endangered.

Previously rejected, now approved

The bill was unsuccessful in 2019 when Governor Newsom raised concerns about the language of the bill.

The governor’s reason for vetoing the law was to create confusion between federal and California law.

He said approving the bill could have jeopardized funding for federal facilities in the state. Rather than clarifying the laws, the governor chose to eliminate all possible effects that could be linked to the use of cannabis in health centers.

Before the bill was re-introduced to Governor Newsom, Senator Hueso wrote to the US Department of Health (HHS) asking for clarification.

A letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been returned to Hueso. The center stated that there were no approved federal laws on the matter. The center claimed that there has never been a case where a federal health center or hospital in the state lost funding to treat patients with medical cannabis.

The confirmation from the health department allayed fears about the loss of medical supplies in the state. A provision has been added to prevent healthcare facilities from being penalized for allowing patients to use medicinal weed.

With all of these measures, Senator Hueso remains confident that medical personnel can implement the provisions of the Ryan Act without fear of backlash. So far the health centers have been operating safely and complying with other state laws, there will be no problem.

Bottom line

Hats off to Sen Ben Hueso, who has fought for a meaningful cause in recent years.

Terminally ill California patients can now enjoy the last days of their lives with their families. You can also hope for expanded end-of-life treatment options. As Hueso said, the passage of this law is a critical step that will guarantee comfort, humanity and dignity for these patients.

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