On this edition of Free Culture Radio: Compassion in Washington State.
In the state of Washington, legislators are considering House Bill 2152, entitled Permitting the medical use of cannabis by qualifying patients in specified health care facilities. This bill is based on a California measure signed into law in 2021, CA Senate Bill 311, the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act. That Act mandated healthcare facilities to permit terminally ill patients to use their own medical marijuana. The Act is also called Ryan’s Law in honor of cancer patient Ryan Bartell. The Washington House Committee on Health Care and Wellness held a hearing on House Bill 2152 on January 13. We hear testimony from the bill’s lead sponsor, Representative Shelley Kloba, and from Jim Bartell, father of Ryan Bartell.
Plus, the Oregon Legislature starts its short session on February 2, 2026. The Judiciary Committees from both the Oregon House and Senate were briefed January 14 on a cannabis omnibus legislative concept by Rob Bovett, an adjunct law professor at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland who served for several years as the elected District Attorney for Lincoln County and as legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties. We hear his presentation to the House Judiciary.
- KBOO