Frankel Bill to Give Terminally Ill Patients Access to Medical Cannabis in Hospitals Passes House with Bipartisan Support
Rep. Dan B. Frankel June 1, 2026 | 4:30 PM
HARRISBURG, June 1 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, that would allow terminally ill patients to access medical cannabis while receiving care in hospitals passed the Pennsylvania House today with bipartisan vote of 174-27.
House Bill 2254, known as Ryan’s Law, is named in honor of Ryan Bartell, a Coast Guard veteran, father, athlete and educator who died of pancreatic cancer at age 41. The bill would ensure that terminally ill patients are not denied access to medical cannabis simply because they are receiving care in a hospital.
“Today, the House came together to do something simple and compassionate: give people at the end of their life more choices about how they spend their final days,” Frankel said. “This bill is about easing suffering and preserving dignity for patients facing unimaginable circumstances.”
Frankel shared Ryan’s story during chamber debate. As his illness progressed, Ryan was prescribed powerful opioids to manage his pain. According to his father, Jim Bartell, the medications left him heavily sedated.
“Ryan woke up from what his father described as a semi-comatose state and pleaded to be taken off fentanyl because he did not want to spend his last weeks sleeping,” Frankel said.
Although Ryan’s doctors believed medical cannabis could help manage his symptoms, the hospital where he was receiving treatment would not allow it. His family eventually transferred him to another facility where he was permitted to receive a prescribed cannabis spray in place of morphine or fentanyl.
The change allowed Ryan to remain awake, communicate with loved ones and spend meaningful time with family during the final weeks of his life.
“Ryan lived and died in San Diego, but there are terminally ill patients across Pennsylvania facing the same situation today,” Frankel said. “What House Bill 2254 really does is give some very sick people the chance to spend their final days conscious, comfortable and connected to the people they love.”
Frankel said the legislation recognizes the importance of preserving quality of life for patients and families navigating end-of-life care.
“Many of us have sat beside the bed of a loved one in their final hours,” Frankel said. “We know the value of one more conversation, one more squeeze of the hand, one more chance to say, ‘I love you.’ This legislation helps make those moments possible for more Pennsylvania families.”
House Bill 2254 now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.
Ryan’s Law is the third bill that Frankel has introduced during this legislative session to update Pennsylvania’s antiquated cannabis laws. Learn more about his adult-use cannabis legislation with Rep. Rick Krajewski here, and learn about his bill to improve oversight of cannabis labs here.
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