South Jersey School District is First in U.S. to Permit Medical Marijuana

A South Jersey school has become the first in the nation to permit a student to consume medical marijuana, NJ.com has reported.

During a meeting Wednesday night, the Maple Shade School District adopted a policy that will allow 16-year-old Genny Barbour, who attends the Larc School in Bellmawr, to have medical marijuana on campus. The student suffers from autism as well as epilepsy that could produce life-threatening seizures.

A year ago, the family sued the school district for failing to allow the student to consume the cannabis oil her mother makes at home. Officials feared it would violate the state's drug-free school zone laws as well as federal laws that make marijuana possession illegal. Genny had taken traditional medications, but none have worked as well as the oil.

Larc and the Maple Shade school district refused to allow the oil on school grounds out of fear they would be violating the state drug-free school zone law and the federal law that says marijuana possession is a crime.

The district's policy change Wednesday night comes on the heels of a law signed by Gov. Chris Christie Monday requiring New Jersey school districts to adopt policies that allow children to consume edible cannabis products if they suffer from developmental disabilities.

NJ.com reports that Genny's mother will likely begin bringing her the cannabis oil during lunchtime on Monday. The student takes four doses per day on a schedule that helps control the frequency and intensity of her epileptic seizures.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.