Connecticut lawmakers are among the latest to pass US legislation to allow certain qualified patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.
Members of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health gathered to discuss the cannabis bill at a hearing Monday, taking testimony from state agencies, medical organizations and others as they consider implementing a policy known as “Ryan’s Law,” named after a California medical cannabis patient who died.
Under the proposal, terminally ill patients would be able to access cannabis products that cannot be smoked or vaporized in health care facilities, such as hospitals. That would not extend to patients receiving emergency care, however.
The bill, HB 5242, also specifies that healthcare facilities can suspend their medical cannabis allowance if a federal agency such as the Department of Justice or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiates an enforcement action or issues guidance prohibiting access to medical marijuana on their premises.
Erin Gorman Kirk, Connecticut’s Cannabis Ombudsman, told the joint committee that the current policy means that “a registered patient with a terminal prognosis may be forced to discontinue a legally permitted regimen the moment they enter a hospital or nursing home.”
“Patients who cannot or cannot tolerate opioids, or who have found the only effective relief for pain, nausea or anxiety in medical cannabis, are left with no choice because of where they receive their care,” he said. “HB 5242 addresses this by requiring covered facilities to permit the use of smokable forms of cannabis, including tinctures, edibles, and topicals, for those with a terminal prognosis of one year or less.”
“HB 5242 is important, impactful, and morally necessary. It’s a common-sense, ethical bill that protects vulnerable patients who don’t want opioids, can’t tolerate them, or have simply found relief and clarity in cannabis to allow them to die with dignity. Medical cannabis is backed by clinical evidence, supported by nurses and policy analysts who work with patients who are entitled to work today. Connecticut across the country would not be should be a statue that tells a dying patient: your medicine is legal, your doctor approved it, but you can’t have it here.
The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), meanwhile, opposed the proposal, telling lawmakers invoice “He misunderstands many aspects of the laws and regulations governing hospitals.”
“HB 5242 requires Connecticut hospitals to break the law, a law that the (Department of Public Health or DPH) itself (the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services or CMS) would have to enforce as part of its oversight system and that the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) would have to enforce as part of its role in overseeing controlled substance laws,” he said.
The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Facilities and the Connecticut Center for Assisted Living (CAHCF/CCAL) also submitted testimony against the reform, saying that “compliance would put providers in an extremely difficult and untenable position trying to navigate conflicting federal and state laws.”
Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
Tilray Medical has announced the launch of its first medical cannabis product in Panama, part of the company’s continued global expansion and commitment to improving patient access to pharmaceutical grade cannabinoids worldwide.
Following the successful shipment of Tilray Oral Solution CBD100 from Tilray Medical’s EU-GMP certified production facilities in Portugal through a joint venture with Solana Life Group S. de RL, the Product is to be distributed through Farmacias Arrocha, one of the leading pharmaceutical chains in Panama, where patients will be able to access Tilray Oral Solution CBD with medical prescription100. This is expected to provide patients and healthcare professionals with access to regulated medical cannabis of pharmaceutical quality through established healthcare channels.
Rajnish Ohri, International President, Tilray Brands, said: “At Tilray Medical, we believe that every patient deserves access to safe, consistent, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products. The launch in Panama reflects our broader vision to expand access to cannabinoid-based medicines around the world. We want pharmacists and patients to help shape the future of responsible access, advance medical education and provide high-quality treatment options that improve lives.”
The launch supports the Panamanian medical cannabis framework established by Law 242 of 2021 and follows important regulatory advances made by the Ministry of Health, including No. 0406 of May 12, 2026. The decision, which established the main conditions for the admission of patients. The Ministry also recently introduced the System for the Identification of Medical Cannabis Users and Authorized Caregivers (SIUCMAA), creating a structured way to authorize medical practitioners and register patients.
Manufactured in Portugal under strict European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) standards, Tilray Oral Solution CBD100 is intended for use in patients with qualified medical conditions permitted under Panamanian law, where permitted. The products reflect Tilray Medical’s longstanding commitment to pharmaceutical quality, product consistency, patient safety and regulatory compliance.
Tilray Medical’s advanced cultivation and manufacturing facilities in Portugal serve as a strategic global export hub, supplying EU-GMP certified medical cannabis products to regulated markets worldwide. The platform enables Tilray Medical to effectively support growing international demand while maintaining the highest pharmaceutical manufacturing standards across its global operations.
People with restless leg syndrome (RLS) may find “significant” long-term relief with cannabis treatment, according to a new study.
While dopamine agonists have traditionally been the “first-line treatment” for RLS, recent studies indicate that gabapentinoids are now being recommended, the researchers said. Because cannabinoids, like gabapentinoids, inhibit a certain type of amino acid associated with the disorder, scientists decided to test their therapeutic effectiveness.
The open-label exploratory study, conducted by European researchers at the University of Madrid and published in the Journal of Neurology, found that a cannabis product containing 2.7 mg of THC and 2.5 mg of CBD was “effective in reducing RLS severity” among patients with multiple sclerosis and “associated idiopathic RLS.”
“Improvements were observed after 1 to 3 months of treatment and were maintained after 1 year among patients who continued therapy,” the study of 18 patients with RLS showed. For those who remained in treatment after a year, 67 percent “continued to show sustained improvement.”
The the findings it may not be surprising that cannabis in particular is known to reduce the severity of muscle spasms and related conditions, but its effectiveness for RLS is remarkable given that no state specifically lists it as a condition for medical cannabis.
Of course, RLS can be a symptom of other general disorders like multiple sclerosis, and some states give doctors more latitude to make recommendations for medical marijuana for any condition they see fit.
In any case, research outside of Spain could be based on research into alternative treatment options that could replace dopamine agonists in the treatment of restless legs syndrome.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz announced on July 7 that he would keep all marijuana products in Schedule I of Wyoming’s Controlled Substances Act, refusing to align the state’s cannabis policy with the federal reorganization order issued earlier this year.
Kautz, who also serves as Wyoming’s drug and substance abuse commissioner, held a public hearing on June 18 after filing an objection to aligning the state’s cannabis schedule with a federal amendment on May 27. State law requires the commissioner to give interested parties an opportunity to be heard after that objection, but only nine people responded. Four email comments supported leaving cannabis as a Schedule I drug, four as Schedule III. It was approved for use and one person attended the hearing to request that cannabis remain in Schedule I.
His decision follows an April 2026 order signed by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche that bans state-licensed medical cannabis, FDA-approved cannabis products, cannabis extracts and naturally derived delta-9 THC III.
Kautz’s office says: “After consideration of all stakeholder comments, the commissioner has determined that all marijuana products, including marijuana subject to the state’s medical marijuana license, will remain in Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act.”
His announcement adds, “The decision to reschedule medical marijuana and marijuana products is an important policy decision that is best left to the Wyoming Legislature and should not be made through administrative rule.”
Wyoming remains one of eight states without a medical cannabis program. A December 2020 poll by the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center for Polling and Analysis found that 85 percent of state residents support legalizing medical cannabis, despite a failed 2024 ballot initiative effort. Possession of three ounces or less carries up to 12 months in prison under current state law, and selling any amount is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Kautz says his office will “properly schedule products approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration once that agency has approved the product,” pointing to the Schedules II and III listings of Cesamet and Dronabinol as evidence that the state complies with federal cannabinoid drug law.