Compassion Center Encourages Health Care Industry Support For SB 311 Ryan’s Law, A Compassionate Solution For End-of-Life Suffering

PORTLAND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2021 / We are privileged to congratulate the California Senate for unanimously passing SB 311. We would like to support and encourage the California Assembly, along with Governor Newsom and his office, to provide Californians much-needed relief by putting this bill into law.

SB 311 (Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act) provides a much-needed change in policy, empowering our colleagues to provide a higher quality of life to Californians when they are most vulnerable. To that end, Compassion Center voices its complete support for SB 311, Ryan’s Law.

Ryan’s Law will close a fundamental gap by providing health care facilities with legal protections so patients who choose to access cannabis in an in-patient setting have the ability to access and use their medical cannabis – something currently prohibited under federal law. At the same time, Ryan’s Law will reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for patients who are in an end-of-life scenario. While Ryan’s Law will still prohibit smoking and vaping in health care facilities, medical cannabis will be allowed to be administered to terminally ill patients under certain restrictions.

SB 311 Ryan’s Law provides the following: 1) authorization for a healthcare facility to reasonably restrict the manner in which a patient stores and uses medical cannabis, 2) exclusion of patients who are receiving emergency care, nor state hospitals, and 3) just like with cigarettes and nicotine, smoking and vaping medical cannabis is expressly prohibited. To protect institutions, Ryan’s Law provides a safe harbor clause, allowing for healthcare facilities to suspend the program if there is any federal intervention. A true win-win for all.

While the shackles of cannabis prohibition are being increasingly broken for the adult-user, patients are disproportionately discriminated against in the healthcare system. For optimal care, healthcare facilities require a clear legal path to provide patients with access to using medical cannabis while in their facilities. SB 311 provides that.

Julie Monteiro, RN, BSK, President of Compassion Center, says, “Today is a monumental day. Thanks to the California Senate for passing Ryan’s Law, and may the California Assembly and Governor Newsom follow suit to end the suffering for California’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Ryan’s Law empowers the continuity of care that is vital for wellness by bringing the laws into alignment with science. This is accomplished by lawfully providing patients with the option of safe and consistent access to medical cannabis while in the hospital system.

Please take a moment to support SB 311 today by calling the California Assembly and Governor Newsom to tell them you fully support the ending actions taken against healthcare facilities and providers that empower patients. Patients deserve this type of relief.

Compassion Center is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity and medical management services organization dedicated to professional education, patient advocacy, and healthcare innovations that serve categorically complex, terminally ill, or underserved citizens with increased, affordable access.

For more information, please contact:
MSOPlus
Public Relations
Sophaur One, EVP, Director of Communications
publicrelations@compassion-center.org

SOURCE: Compassion Center

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