Committee adopts amendments to clarify medical-marijuana rules in hospitals; SB7 goes to consent calendar

DENVER — The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday adopted a package of amendments to Senate Bill 7 designed to clarify how medical marijuana may be handled in health-care settings and to limit facility liability.

Senator Mullica, who introduced the bill, said the proposal grew from patients’ concerns about comfort and continuity of care for terminally ill patients. He told the committee the amendments reflect negotiated compromises with hospitals and other stakeholders.

Two witnesses testified in support of the amendments. Sarah Gardner, a registered nurse representing the Colorado Organization of Nurse Leaders, urged adoption of the changes, saying the amendments let facilities set policies and avoid regulatory ambiguity. "Patient safety depends on clear, consistent clinical standards that nurses and care teams can reliably follow," Gardner said.

Dr. Marvin Lee, a board-certified internal medicine physician speaking for the Colorado Hospital Association, said introducing new substances into hospital care raises dosing, interaction, documentation and staff-responsibility concerns and that the amendments help preserve safety and avoid jeopardizing federal funding or accreditation. "Any policy affecting care in these settings must prioritize safety while supporting passionate care," he said.

The committee adopted amendments L1 through L4. According to the committee discussion, L1 specifies that a health-care facility is not required to store, secure, inventory, dispense, label, document or otherwise handle medical marijuana; L2 adds compliance language; L3 changes mandatory language to permissive; and L4 expands facilities’ authority to develop guidelines and limits facility liability for restricting possession, use, administration and storage.

Senator Mullica moved the bill as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The clerk conducted a roll call in which a sequence of 'Aye' responses was recorded for Senators Bright, Carson, Cutter, Grisel, Heinrichsen, Judah, Weisman, Mullica and Michaelson Janae. Sponsor Mullica then asked that the bill be placed on the consent calendar; committee members raised no objection and it was placed there.

The committee’s action advances SB7 to the next stage of Senate consideration, where it may be considered along with other consent-calendar items.