Dive Brief:
- Susan Weiner, executive director of the Larc School in Bellmawr, N.J., says that they're the "first school in the nation to permit medical marijuana on campus," NJ.com reports.
- The new rule follows a new requisite from the Gov. Chris Christie mandating that all school districts adopt rules permitting students with developmental disabilities to consume cannabis oil or other edible cannabis products.
- The family of the teenage girl, Genny Barbour, had previously sued in an attempt to enable their daughter to consume cannabis oil in school at lunchtime to control seizures. Weiner says a parent and registered caregiver may administer the medicine in a private setting on school grounds with a staff member present.
Dive Insight:
The family is now trying to get the Larc School's nurse to administer the marijuana to their daughter, akin to what happens with any other medication. "Colorado became the first state in May to enact a law permitting medical marijuana in school," NJ.com reports, "but no school has adopted a policy."
When Christie signed the law last week, it gave schools legal protection. Because federal law still considers marijuana possession a crime, it's unclear how the clash in state and federal rules might affect other students who rely on medical marijuana.