Pennsylvania House set to legalize Medical Marijuana

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on April 14, 2016.

In an aim to legalize medical marijuana across the state, the lawmakers of Pennsylvania are set to cast final vote on marijuana bill ‘SB 3’on Wednesday. The Democratic governor Tom Wolf supports the bill.

A Senate committee has recently amended and approved the bill. Senator Mike Folmer, the key sponsor of the bill, observed the amendments at ‘technical’ adjustments would allow smoother implementation of medical marijuana program for all the stakeholders including patients, doctors, licensing growers, processors and dispensers of marijuana.

According to the basic components of the bill, SB 3, medical marijuana could be used to treat more than a dozen of health problems, including cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, intractable seizures, autism, chronic pain, AIDs, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia and some other neurological and gastrointestinal conditions.

As per the legislation, doctors who prescribe marijuana as a treatment will have to register as practitioners, and patients who want to use it will be given ID cards that would be renewed annually. Similarly, dispensaries as well as those who grow and process medical marijuana will have to be licensed by the state.

Medical marijuana could be dispensed in various forms such as pills, oils, liquids, creams etc. However, smoking as well as distribution of medical marijuana in dry leaf or plant form is prohibited. 

The bill also says that the state will impose a 5% tax on the gross receipts of growers and processors of medical marijuana. Money collected from taxes will be spent for addiction control, law enforcement, research on marijuana use and welfare of the patients with financial hardships.

If the measure becomes law, Pennsylvania would join 23 states and numerous cities that have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana.

comments powered by Disqus