Autism patients soon will be able to use medical marijuana in Colorado. On Wednesday, March 20, the state Senate passed House Bill 1028 31 to 4, which would add autism to the qualifying list of conditions for MMJ; Gov. Jared Polis supports the proposal and is expected to sign it, according to his staff.
Although HB 1028 now looks like a done deal, the measure hit plenty of bumps along the way. A similar bill passed both houses in 2018, but was ultimately vetoed by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper, who issued an executive order asking the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to study MMJ's effect on autism. With the extra time, proponents had more time to fine-tune the language on this year's proposal, according to Michelle Walker of Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism. The mother of an autistic child, Walker believes that last year's measure would have prevented some children from attaining an MMJ recommendation.
