A new state law requires all schools in Maine to adopt medical marijuana policies. But until this week none of the 242 school districts and nearly 200 private schools from Aroostook to York had announced details of an official plan.  Now the first reading of a policy that would allow students to have medical marijuana administered in school under certain conditions has taken place.

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Auburn Assistant Superintendent Michelle McClellan says any medical marijuana would have to be approved by a physician, and administered in school by a parent or guardian. Nurses wouldn't be able to administer the drug. Marijuana doses would have to be in non-smoking form. This policy would only apply to students under the age of 18.

The committee is scheduled to give the policy a second reading, or final vote, Jan. 6. Hundreds of other school districts will be required to provide details of their own plans over the next month or so.

Maine School Management Association is providing schools with a draft model of rules for their districts. The Association says those have been vetted by lawyers to make sure schools comply with legal and medical regulations.

L.D. 557, known as "carry in, carry out"  was approved last spring by the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs committee. School nurses and personnel wouldn't be responsible for storing or administering the drug. The bill says that drug cannot be smoked and must be taken as an oil, a food or a pill. The treatment also must be recommended by the child’s health care provider, and documentation provided to the school.

 

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