“It’s really up to the Senate and House leaders to make a bicameral agreement to help these patients”.
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The House of Representatives voted 149-46 Wednesday to concur on the version of SB 3 approved Tuesday by the Senate.
Meadville physician Paul Peirsel, who participated in a panel on medical marijuana in Atlanta sponsored by the International College of Integrative Medicine, said it treats “a lot of things”. House officials haven’t given any assurances that the chamber will quickly pass this new version. The House departs Harrisburg after today and returns to session on May 2.
“I have the same general concerns about medical marijuana that we’ve had before”. Don White, R-Indiana.
Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to creating a medical marijuana program.
“I think putting pot in the Constitution is a awful idea”, Faber said. “So we’re starting ahead of schedule in some respects because we have a good foundation from the testimony and the work of the task force”.
Republican Senate President Keith Faber was quick to rein in the House’s predictions, saying “it’s impossible to say at this point what the final product will look like or even if we’ll have a final product”.
If Gov. Wolf signs the bill into law, as expected, Pennsylvania will become the 24th state in the nation (in addition to the District of Columbia) to adopt an effective medical marijuana law. “We should not deny doctor-recommended treatment that could help people suffering from seizures or cancer patients affected by chemotherapy”.
The legislation’s drafters say they expect it would be two years before regulations are written and retailers are ready to sell to patients. Those conditions include cancer, AIDS, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease and severe chronic pain. Qualified patients would need to obtain a recommendation from select physicians.
Among other provisions, the new legislation calls for creation of a medical marijuana control commission within the Ohio Department of Health to develop the rules for legalizing the drug.
Under the proposal, the state would license up to 25 growers and processors, and as many as 50 dispensaries, which could each operate three locations.
Gazette staff writer Chauncey Ross contributed to this report.
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have passed a medical marijuana bill.
The state Department of Health under the helm of Secretary Karen Murphy, R.N., Ph.D., a Scranton native, takes the lead role in establishing the regulatory set up governing the growing, dispensing and use of marijuana for patients and academic research under this legislation. There are several parts of the bill that keep it fairly restrictive compared to other states, including the 17 approved medical conditions that are eligible and the forms in which THC will be made available (hint: there’s no smoking involved).
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Medical marijuana may only be dispensed as a pill, oil, tincture or liquid; in a topical form, such as a gel, cream or ointment; or in a form medically appropriate for vaporization or nebulization.
