First pot bill nears the Capitol finish line | The Spot

First pot bill nears the Capitol finish line | The Spot

The first of two medical marijuana bills – a plan to more strictly regulate the relationships between doctors and patients – passed the House with just one objection this morning.

Senate Bill 109 would bar doctors from writing recommendations inside dispensaries that sell medical marijuana and requires a full physical exam before recommending marijuana for patients.

House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, favors the legalization of marijuana voted against SB 109, because it required doctors recommending medical marijuana do more than doctors prescribing other pain-killing drugs like Vicodin.

“Why should a doctor have to do a full physical if a patient has a neck injury?” Weissmann asked. “Why should it be different for pot?”

The Senate must agree with a minor amendment to the legislation before it heads to the governor’s desk.