On September 11th, 2019, the California State Legislature unanimously approved their Senate Bill No. 305, titled “Ryan’s Law.” It’s now on its way to California’s pro-cannabis Governor Newsom, who is expected to sign it in the coming weeks. If all goes as well , it will come into effect on January 1st, 2020.

Ryan had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and his only option to treat the  pain was morphine, and fentanyl—which is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Taking these drugs left him barely conscious, or asleep, and prevented him from functioning or even communicating with his family. In your final days of life, this is not what anybody wants.

Ryan eventually asked his father, Jim Bartell, to get him off the medication so he could at least  function in some sort of way during his last days.  Jim located a hospital that would allow cannabis, and Ryan was  transferred to it. On the first day that Ryan was allowed cannabis,  he couldn’t even swallow due to the drugs so he had it sprayed into his mouth and by the next morning he was  alert, talkative, and pain-free. Ryan was able to spend his last days  functioning and able to speak and say goodbye to many of his family and friends.