Chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee John Van der Woude (R) filed a bill Friday in the Idaho House of Representatives aimed at authorizing the use of medical marijuana for people diagnosed with various health conditions.

The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act, or House bill 370 was introduced as a personnel law, i.e. the draft was not submitted to a legislative committee for the preliminary hearing, writes Idaho Capital Sun.

Often personal bills don’t get ahead because they bypass standard procedure, and legislators tend to introduce them just to set the stage for future work.

The medical marijuana bill came as a surprise because it was not on the legislative agenda and the state house deadline for introducing personal bills was exceeded, the outlet reports.

Highlights of the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act

Among the qualifying medical conditions for treatment with cannabis under the new law are: Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); Autism; cachexia; Cancer; severe chronic pain; Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis; epilepsy or debilitating seizures; Multiple sclerosis or any incurable disease.

The measure would allow ingestible marijuana products such as pills, tablets, or chewable tablets containing up to 10 mg of THC to be obtained from a licensed Idaho pharmacist. It would not allow marijuana in its raw form or consume it through smoking or vaporizing.

Medical marijuana producers would need to obtain a production license in the state of Gem to grow and handle medical cannabis. Other regulatory requirements include submission of an operations plan, inspections, product testing and criminal investigations.

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