Senate passes package including 'Ryan’s Law' to allow limited medical cannabis in care facilities and codifies jail search rules

The Washington State Senate on March 3, 2025, passed a series of bills addressing medical cannabis access in care facilities, procedures for searches in jails, voter-registration challenges, water‑system rate transparency and other health and consumer protections.

Senators advanced Substitute House Bill 2152, cited on the floor as "Ryan’s Law," which "directs hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care centers to allow for the limited use of medical cannabis for those patients who are facing the end of life," sponsor Senator Cleveland said. "This bill truly can improve quality of life for patients as they face their final days," she added, urging support. The sponsor’s motion to advance the bill was followed by remarks from another senator who described a case in which medical cannabis helped a patient with pancreatic cancer remain lucid and communicate with family; that senator asked colleagues for a yes vote. The secretary announced final passage: "46 ayes, 2 nays, 1 absent."

On overcrowding and corrections policy, the Senate advanced and passed an engrossed substitute (ESHB 1604) to set parameters for searches of transgender and intersex individuals in local jails and align procedures with federal standards. Senator Fortunato offered amendment 0854 to require a medical professional be available to resolve search impasses and to specify qualifying medical professionals; he said the…