Ryan’s Law: Medical Cannabis Comes to Washington Hospitals

Starting in 2027, hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice centers in Washington must allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis during inpatient care. Here’s what the new law does, where it came from, and what it means for you and your family.

What Ryan’s Law does

House Bill 2152 — Ryan’s Law — requires Washington hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care centers to allow qualifying patients with a terminal condition to use medical cannabis while receiving inpatient care on the facility’s premises.

Washington has allowed medical cannabis since 1998, but until now, patients admitted to a hospital or hospice had no right to use it there. Many terminally ill patients were forced to choose between symptom relief and staying in the facility caring for them. Ryan’s Law closes that gap.

The bill passed the House 89–6 and the Senate with strong bipartisan support, and was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 11, 2026. Prime sponsor Rep. Shelley Kloba (D–Kirkland) put it simply: “When someone is facing the end of their life, our responsibility is simple: to reduce suffering and honor their dignity.”

The story behind the name

Ryan’s Law is named for Ryan Bartell, a 41-year-old father and Coast Guard veteran diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Ryan spent the first four and a half weeks of his final hospitalization — in a Washington hospital — on fentanyl and morphine, which relieved his pain but left him largely unconscious, unable to talk with his family or his young son.

Ryan’s family eventually moved him to a hospital that permitted medical cannabis. The change was profound: he spent his last two and a half weeks lucid, comfortable, and present with the people he loved.

After Ryan’s death in 2018, his father Jim Bartell made it his mission to ensure no other family faces that choice. California passed the nation’s first Ryan’s Law (SB 311, the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act) in 2021, and has since expanded it to cover patients 65 and older with chronic conditions. Other states followed. With HB 2152, Ryan’s story comes full circle — the law now applies in the state where he spent his final weeks.

What it means for patients and families

Who qualifies: patients with a terminal condition — an incurable, irreversible condition that will cause death within a reasonable period of medical judgment — who hold a valid medical cannabis authorization.
Where it applies: hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care centers, once the patient is admitted for inpatient care.
What you can use: tinctures, edibles, capsules, oils, and topicals. Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside facilities.
Who handles the cannabis: you or your designated provider acquire, store, administer, and remove it. Facility staff cannot administer cannabis or retrieve it from storage.
What to bring: a copy of your authorization, and a locking container for storage in your room or a designated location.

Planning ahead

If you or a loved one is facing a terminal diagnosis, talk with your care team early about the facility’s medical cannabis policy, and make sure your authorization is current. A designated provider can handle purchases if you can’t leave the facility — find DOH-compliant products at a medically endorsed store.

The rules and limits

Each facility must adopt its own written policy for medical cannabis use — expect some differences between facilities.
Your cannabis use will be documented in your medical record.
Cannabis must stay in a locked container in your room, a designated location, or with your designated provider.
No sharing between patients or visitors.
The law does not apply to emergency departments, patients who haven’t been admitted for inpatient care, or nursing homes operated by residential habilitation centers.
When you leave, you or your designated provider remove remaining cannabis, or direct the facility to dispose of it as medical waste.

Timeline

Date	Milestone
2018	Ryan Bartell dies of pancreatic cancer after spending his final weeks in Washington hospitals
September 2021	California enacts the nation’s first Ryan’s Law (SB 311)
February 2026	Washington House passes HB 2152, 89–6
March 11, 2026	Governor Ferguson signs Ryan’s Law
June 11, 2026	Law takes effect
January 1, 2027	All covered facilities must have patient-use policies in place

For healthcare facilities

Facilities must comply by January 1, 2027. The law includes safeguards: clear policy requirements, a federal enforcement safe harbor, and provisions ensuring staff are never required to handle or administer cannabis. States that implemented Ryan’s Law earlier have done so safely, with no reported incidents. See the DOH’s implementation guidance and the full bill text (PDF).

Sources & further reading

Questions about becoming a patient? Start with our Patient Guide.