California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation last week to ban medical discrimination against patients who use cannabis.
Assembly Bill 1954, introduced by Assemblymember Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, protects the right of patients to medical treatment if they use cannabis, as well as the right of physicians and clinics to treat them, according to a KRON4 report.
The legislation, sponsored by California NORML and Americans for Safe Access, cleared the Legislature with bipartisan support before Newsom signed it into law Sept. 2, the news outlet reported.
The new law clarifies that physicians cannot be penalized for treating patients who test positive for cannabis, even though cannabis remains federally illegal, according to KRON4. It also specifies that a positive drug test for cannabis cannot be the sole basis for denying medical treatment in order to ban the automatic elimination patients who use cannabis from pain management programs.
