SB 26-7

Senate Bill 26-7 allows hospitals and health facilities in Colorado to permit terminally ill patients who are registered in the state’s medical marijuana program to use their medication within these facilities. The bill requires that any facility allowing this practice must document the patient's registration and usage, create safety guidelines for handling medical marijuana, and ensure compliance with other laws. Importantly, the bill also protects health facilities from losing licenses or federal funding if they choose not to handle medical marijuana. Since it has been signed into law, these provisions are now in effect, giving terminally ill patients more options for their care within health facilities.

Official Summary

The act permits a health facility to allow patients who are terminally ill and who are registered in the state's medical marijuana program to use medical marijuana within the health facility, subject to certain parameters. The act requires a health facility that allows such use to document the patient's medical marijuana program registration and medical marijuana usage in the patient's medical records and develop guidelines for and impose restrictions on the possession, usage, storage, and administration of medical marijuana to ensure the safety of others, safe facility operations, and compliance with other laws. A health facility is not required to handle medical marijuana for a patient.     The act prohibits the department of public health and environment (department) from requiring compliance with the act as a condition for a health facility to obtain or renew a license or certification that it is required to carry to operate as a health facility. Additionally, the act prohibits the department from requiring compliance if compliance would result in a violation of state law, a loss of federal funding, noncompliance with the federal medicare or medicaid programs, or noncompliance with accreditation or licensing requirements. Lastly, the act allows a health facility to suspend compliance with the act's provisions in the event that, and only as long as, a listed federal entity takes an action that requires the health facility to suspend its compliance with the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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