Editor's Note: SB 1235 is a big step for Virginia lawmakers and residents, and is expected to pass the House of Delegates. Another plus is the "emergency clause," which will accelerate the ability for  residents to access marijuana oils. However, there apparently is no language that permits the manufacture of the oils. The bill's summary reads: "Possession or distribution of marijuana for medical purposes; epilepsy. Provides an affirmative defense in a prosecution for the possession of marijuana if the marijuana is in the form of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil possessed pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner of medicine or osteopathy licensed by the Board of Medicine for purposes of treating or alleviating a patient's symptoms of intractable epilepsy. The bill provides that a practitioner shall not be prosecuted for distribution of marijuana under the circumstances outlined in the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause."
The Virginia Senate voted Thursday to allow patients with severe epilepsy to use marijuana oils to treat control their seizures.
The relatively fast-moving legislation came at the urging of parents who say the only medicine that truly helps their children comes from the otherwise illegal cannabis plant.
Senate Bill 1235 won final approval from the Senate Thursday and crossed over to the House of Delegates, where it has support from Speaker of the House William Howell and a number of other key members.
