permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.

HB 53 would permit qualifying patients and their designated caregivers to legally cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use at home. The bill requires the state department to establish a system by December 1, 2025, allowing these individuals to report their cultivation locations. This change directly affects patients with medical conditions approved under current law and their legally designated caregivers. The provision shifts cultivation from an unregulated activity to a permitted, reportable practice under state oversight, without altering existing patient eligibility criteria.