UPPER MERION - Passage of legislation that legalized medical marijuana in Pennsylvania marked the end of seven long, hard years of negotiation. Now that Gov. Tom Wolf has signed the measure into law, the push is on to explain the ramifications, including possible business opportunities tied to the medical marijuana field. Wolf, who had adamantly backed the bill through approval by both the House and Senate, swiftly added his signature, which made the bill law. That kicked off the long process of working within the boundaries that the Commonwealth agreed upon to bring cannabis to medical patients. Doctors will need to be certified; growers and processors will need to establish a business model; and licenses for 150 dispensaries will be issued in the next year. [continues 490 words]
Across the United States, heroin users have died in alleys behind convenience stores, on city sidewalks and in the bathrooms of fast-food joints - because no one was around to save them when they overdosed. An alarming 47,000 American overdose deaths in 2014 - 60 percent from heroin and related painkillers like fentanyl - has pushed elected leaders from coast to coast to consider what was once unthinkable: government-sanctioned sites where users can shoot up under the supervision of a doctor or nurse who can administer an antidote if necessary. [continues 1392 words]
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Rolland Gregg and his family have fought federal marijuana charges for more than three years, arguing that the roughly 70 marijuana plants investigators found on their Washington property were for their own medicinal use and fully complied with state law. A federal jury last year convicted Gregg, his mother and his wife of growing 50 to 100 marijuana plants - amounts their attorney said are in compliance with state medical marijuana law. With prison sentences looming, they have now turned to a recent act of Congress that they say should have stopped the U.S. Department of Justice from prosecuting them because they were doing what their state allowed. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and the DOJ disagrees with Gregg's understanding of the new law. [continues 776 words]
Well. finally. State lawmakers have passed and Gov. Tom Wolf said he will sign legislation allowing usage of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. That only took . what, 20 years? California became the first state to allow medical marijuana way back in 1996. Sen Daylin Leach, D-Delaware County, has introduced medical marijuana legislation every session since 2009. Sen. Mike Folmer, R-parts of northeastern York County, has pushed for this compassionate treatment - on behalf of his "Momma Bears," parents of kids suffering from epilepsy and other ailments - for many years. [continues 515 words]
Sharon Johnson calls herself an addict, although she's been sober for three years now. She started by smoking pot and eventually moved to crack cocaine. Her daughter has tried heroin and "I believe I'm going to pull her out of the gutter someday," Johnson laments. Johnson has seen firsthand the ravages of drug abuse reflected in anational AssociatedPress-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Whether it's alcohol or illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine, a majority of Americans say it's a problem and that more needs to be done to address it. [continues 564 words]
WORCESTER - The passage of a medical marijuana bill this week by the state House has given hope to a Worcester mother who treats her 12-year-old son for daily seizures. "Ryan was 9 months old when he was diagnosed with infantile spasms. The doctors call it intractable epilepsy now that he is older," said Erin McCann. "He has seizures that include head drops of 20 to 40 times over 15 minutes. He has two (seizure) clusters a day from this condition." [continues 572 words]
HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - The Pennsylvania House of Representatives took up a proposal Monday to permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes, a potential breakthrough for supporters who have worked for several years to get legalization through the Republican-controlled Legislature. The debate began with passage of an elaborate amendment, crafted by a bipartisan task force, laying out rules for how the program would work, including eligibility and regulations. It was approved by a 152-38 vote, but the measure still requires a final House vote. [continues 346 words]
Andrew Follett Introduces 'Cannagenix' Line of Hemp Foods With Plans to Grow His Own "My end goal in this journey is to have large acreage of a variety of hemp strains tailored to specific industry, and a processing plant capable of a broad spectrum of product-specific processing." - Andrew Follett, owner of Follett Health Solutions LLC Andrew Follett is like many entrepreneurs in the area: young, energetic, with a burning desire to talk about his newest venture. But unlike those who have created the latest app or video game, Follett has a public relations hurdle to clear before his startup can become a success. [continues 712 words]
Carol Johnson* of North Philadelphia, 87, carefully saved $2,000 from her pension checks, storing the money in an upstairs bedroom. But in a matter of minutes, it was gone - taken by law enforcement after Carol's husband Kevin* was found with two marijuana joints in their home. Carol was never charged with a crime, but it didn't matter. Under Pennsylvania's civil asset forfeiture laws, cash, cars and even homes can be forfeited without a hearing on the evidence, without due process, without justice. [continues 583 words]
HARRISBURG - Retired Maj. Neill Franklin oversaw more than a dozen drug task forces that used civil asset forfeiture laws to seize millions in property. But by the late 1990s even Franklin, who worked for the Maryland State Police, began to think something was wrong with the system. Franklin was reviewing paperwork from a case on the Eastern Shore. Police had seized a man's car, and it was suspected the car was used in drug deals. But the owner was never charged with a crime. [continues 1081 words]
The history of hemp's black-sheep cousin marijuana leads to hysteria when the plant is mentioned in the same breath with legalization. That is based on ignorance. It's time to give farmers the option of growing this valuable cash crop. You could say that the roots of this nation's agricultural heritage were those of hemp plants. In 1619, King James I decreed that every colonist in the New World had to grow 10 hemp plants for export to England. George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon. [continues 534 words]
While heroin continues to claim lives at an alarming rate, officials said prescription drugs now cause more deaths than all illegal street drugs combined. The war on drugs may be best known for the law enforcement's fight against the illegal drug trade, but these days another battle is waging against the rising death toll caused by fatal overdoses. Local law enforcement officials continue to raise the alarm about the constant loss of life that has struck communities across the country, including Chester County. Last year at least 52 people died in an accidental manner caused by drug use, according to statistics from the Chester County Coroner's Office. [continues 1276 words]
All the Pundits Have Been Busily Clucking About What a Rocky Road Lies Ahead for New Gov. Tom Wolf. They're right, of course. The state's financial situation is dire - and both Republicans and Democrats are playing the blame game. The new governor is sure to find himself at odds with an even more solidly Republican Legislature (thanks to gerrymandering). Inequitable school funding is a huge problem across the state. Small cities such as York are imploding into insolvency. Hey Mr. Wolf, remind us again why you wanted this impossible job. Yeah, it's going to be tough. So why not start with something easy? [continues 378 words]
Rick Steves smokes the occasional joint, but he's not arguing for marijuana legalization in Oregon just because he likes to get high. Steves, a nationally known guidebook author and host on public radio and television, said Tuesday he's convinced that marijuana prohibition in the U.S. operates solely to harm the poor and people of color, and to profit off their punishment. "It's not guys like me, rich white guys, who need it," Steves said Tuesday at a downtown Portland hotel. "It's the people who are arrested and cited, who are poor." [continues 305 words]
This past week, I and three members of my legislative staff flew to Denver, Colorado, to see for ourselves what the complete legalization of cannabis looks like. Given the polls, what other states are doing, and the arc of history, it seems difficult to deny that legal cannabis is coming to Pennsylvania fairly soon. We wanted to make sure we understood how it works and what Colorado did right, and wrong, in an effort to ensure we do this the right way when the time comes. [continues 685 words]
Is medical marijuana (or perhaps even Colorado-style legalization) "the next gay marriage"? The idea of allowing equal marriage rights for same-sex couples was resisted for decades - actually centuries. But advocates persisted, attitudes changed and eventually legalization of gay marriage became inevitable. Legalization of marijuana - at least for medical purposes - is on a similar fast track. Gov. Tom Corbett said earlier this year he was in favor of allowing a marijuana extract called cannabidiol that has been used to treat epileptic seizures in children. [continues 451 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - A Pennsylvania state senator admitted he used marijuana during a recent taxpayer-funded trip to Colorado to observe the state's legal marijuana industry in action. Sen. Daylin Leach, a leading proponent of legalized marijuana in the Legislature, said he took two hits from a vape pen, similar to an e-cigarette, at his hotel. The device vaporizes a form of marijuana and is smokeless. Leach said it was a gift from a facility he and aides toured during the trip, which cost nearly $5,000. [continues 204 words]
DENVER (AP) - Colorado is smoking pot by the ton, and visitors are, too. Colorado's pot regulators issued what is believed to be the world's first post-legalization market study for the weed on Wednesday. The study relied on sales data from Colorado's first three months of recreational marijuana sales, while previous pot market studies relied on survey responses because the drug is illegal. "This study finds total marijuana demand to be much larger than previously estimated," Colorado's study concluded. [continues 426 words]
If the police stop you in Pennsylvania, they don't need a warrant to search your car. And soon, you could be in trouble even if they find nothing. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that police are allowed to search vehicles without a warrant. The state General Assembly, meanwhile, is moving forward with a bill that would give cops the authority to arrest people caught with "secret compartments" in their vehicles, even if there is nothing illegal in those suspicious containers. [continues 919 words]
The heroin epidemic ravaging the nation is tied closely to the availability of powerful, legal prescription painkillers classified as opioids. People become addicted to the painkillers but switch to heroin, which generally is cheaper and easier to obtain. Such abuse of legal drugs is illegal and regrettable. But it should not, and does not, prevent medical professionals from prescribing the legal drugs for people who need them. And then, there is marijuana. Pot is a curious case because its provenance in the culture is as a "recreational" drug. Yet marijuana has been shown to have therapeutic effects, including pain relief, nausea suppression and appetite stimulation. And now, an oil derived from marijuana has shown promise as a treatment for a seizure disorder that affects young children. [continues 196 words]
Sandy Kaercher of East Coventry has a hope shared by a majority of Pennsylvanians. For Kaercher, however, the hope is very personal. Kaercher wants to see marijuana legalized for medical purposes as a last resort to control seizures that disrupt the life of her 15-year-old daughter, Grace. Kaercher is part of a group of parents advocating for legalization of medical marijuana. The group took their wishes directly to the state House of Representatives in January, asking for legislation that would give children with seizure disorders hope for some relief. [continues 439 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - A large majority of Pennsylvania voters favor legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, but they are divided over whether possession of even small amounts for recreational use should be legalized, according to a poll released Monday. The poll from Connecticut's Quinnipiac University focused on an issue being debated in the Pennsylvania Legislature and among the Democrats hoping to challenge Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's re-election bid. The survey showed that 85 percent of voters believe adult Pennsylvanians should be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it. [continues 444 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration on Friday gave banks a road map for conducting transactions with legal marijuana sellers so these new businesses can stash away savings, make payroll and pay taxes like any other enterprise. It's not clear banks will get on board. Guidance issued by the Justice and Treasury departments is the latest step by the federal government toward enabling a legalized marijuana industry to operate in states that approve it. The intent is to make banks feel more comfortable working with marijuana businesses that are licensed and regulated. [continues 621 words]
Mom Believes Medical Marijuana Could Help Daughter Sandy Kaercher sits down to drink her morning coffee, but before the first sip, her daughter's school calls. Kaercher of East Coventry answers with a concerned "yes" as she's done countless times before. Her daughter Grace, 15, had a seizure and the school nurse gave her the rescue medication Grace always carries in a bracelet. "The bad days tend to steal my hope," Kaercher said. Kaercher said no matter what treatments Grace is on, the seizures continue. She has tried every option except medical marijuana, which isn't legal in Pennsylvania, Kaercher said. [continues 1443 words]
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is yet another victim of the war on drugs. Prohibition is not working. It is time to try something new. Hoffman, 46, was found dead in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment Feb. 2, apparently the victim of a heroin overdose. According to widely published reports, there was a syringe in his arm. Police found the place littered with small plastic bags stamped "Ace of Spades" or "Ace of Hearts" - brand names that street dealers use. [continues 698 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Parents of children afflicted by epileptic seizures described their lives in heart-wrenching detail Tuesday as they appealed to Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, saying it could provide relief that conventional medications have not. The Senate Law and Justice Committee heard 2 1/2 hours of testimony from opponents and supporters on a topic that typically raises highly charged debate surrounding health care and illegal drugs in whatever state it's discussed. The Pennsylvania Medical Society opposes the bill, as does Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. The Medical Society said more study is needed. The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association supports the measure. [continues 476 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama said he doesn't think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol, "in terms of its impact on the individual consumer." "As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol," the president said an interview with "The New Yorker" magazine. [continues 295 words]
A bill introduced in the state Senate Tuesday would make Pennsylvania the 21st state to legalize the use of medical marijuana. But don't count on the bill becoming law anytime soon. Gov. Tom Corbett has refused to sign any such bill until the federal Food and Drug Administration approves cannabis for medical purposes. Nevertheless, the bill's bipartisan sponsors - state Sens. Daylin Leach, D-17, of Upper Merion, and Mike Folmer, R-48, of Lebanon County - - are lobbying hard for its passage. [continues 461 words]
DENVER (AP) - Crowds were serenaded by live music as they waited for the nation's first legal recreational pot shops to open. They ate doughnuts and funnel cakes as a glassblower made smoking pipes. Some tourists even rode around in a limo, eager to try weed but not so eager to be seen buying it. And when the sales began, those who bought the drug emerged from the stores, receipt held high and carrying sealed shopping bags, to cheers. "I'm going to frame the receipt when I go home, to remind myself of what might be possible: Legal everywhere," said musician James Aaron Ramsey, 28, who did some time in jail for pot possession in Missouri and played folk tunes with his guitar for those in line. [continues 804 words]
Colorado on Monday became the first state in U.S. history to issue special licenses for recreational marijuana businesses. After weeks of scrutiny of applications, the state Marijuana Enforcement Division mailed out licenses to 136 marijuana stores on Monday. Those stores - if they also have received approval from their local governments - will be able to start selling pot to the adult public on Jan. 1. The Marijuana Enforcement Division also issued and mailed licenses for 31 marijuana-infused products makers and 178 marijuana-cultivation facilities. [continues 139 words]
Garrett Brann is about to turn 3 years old. He has a form of epilepsy, known as "Dravet Syndrome," which is robbing him of his childhood, a normal life, and so much more. The disease manifests itself primarily in almost constant seizures. Garrett routinely has more than 100 seizures, of varying degrees of intensity, every day. Garrett's story is obviously sad, but what makes it truly tragic is that there is a treatment which could very possibly end Garrett's seizures and allow him to live a normal life. However, because that treatment is a derivative of marijuana, he is not allowed to have it. [continues 672 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite 75 years of federal marijuana prohibition, the Justice Department said Thursday that states can let people use the drug, license people to grow it and even allow adults to stroll into stores and buy it - as long as the weed is kept away from kids, the black market and federal property. In a sweeping new policy statement prompted by pot legalization votes in Washington and Colorado last fall, the department gave the green light to states to adopt tight regulatory schemes to oversee the medical and recreational marijuana industries burgeoning across the country. [continues 713 words]
By many accounts, the gateway to heroin addiction is not through other illicit drugs like cocaine or marijuana, but through prescription opiates like Oxycontin or Percocet. As such, one of the biggest ways to combat heroin addiction is to monitor or curtail the prescription of such powerful painkillers. "The problem here in Pennsylvania is that there is nothing a physician can tap into to see if (addicts are) shopping. Legally, we do not have access to that information," said Dr. Greg Pierce, a doctor at the methadone clinic, Habit OPCO in Pottstown. "That would be huge to helping this war against opiate use." [continues 782 words]
As anticipated, State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-17), who represents parts of Montgomery County, has unveiled the full text of his controversial marijuana legalization bill, called the "Regulate Marijuana Act" - Senate Bill 528 in the current session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, according to a Leach spokesperson. The bill states that "in the interest of the efficient use of law enforcement resources, enhancing revenue for public purposes and individual freedom, the people of this Commonwealth find and declare that the use of marijuana should be legal for persons 21 years of age or older and taxed." [continues 615 words]
I read with great interest the article about Pennsylvania state Sen. Daylin Leach's proposal to legalize the drug marijuana for medical purposes. While I am sure once legal many will abuse it and a number may find its use a stepping stone to harder narcotics, I feel the measure is in the best interests of all. The plain truth is that the criminalization of this sustenance does society more harm then good. While attempting to help the public avoid the detrimental effects of a clearly harmful narcotic, government has repeated the mistake of Prohibition in creating and supporting a vast criminal network of violent organizations and drug related crime. [continues 66 words]
DENVER (AP) - Marijuana may be coming out of the black market in Colorado and Washington state, but the drug, at least for now, will retain a decidedly underground feel: Users may not know what's in it. Less than a year away from allowing pot sales, regulators are grappling with how to ensure that the nation's first legal marijuana industry will grow weed that delivers only the effects that pot smokers want. Whether it is establishing rules to govern the growing of marijuana, including the use of pesticides and fungicides, or accurate product labeling, officials know they will be doing it alone. [continues 792 words]
In the wake of state-wide referendums to legalize marijuana use in some form in Colorado and Washington, not to mention New Jersey, state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17th Dist. has vowed to once again introduce a bill legalizing marijuana use in Pennsylvania. Reaction to the news on our Facebook page and on pottsmerc.com was varied, with some agreeing with Leach, some opposing the idea and many somewhere in between, but the majority was tipped in favor of the idea. [continues 1215 words]
HARRISBURG- Some advocates of repealing or relaxing Pennsylvania's anti-marijuana laws say they are encouraged by referendum votes to legalize recreational use of the drug in Colorado and Washington state, but Gov. Tom Corbett vows to veto any such bill. State Sen. Daylin Leach, who sponsored one of two medical-marijuana bills that died in committee during the just-ended legislative session, said the referendums results will help pave the way for similar measures in other states. Leach, D-Montgomery, compared marijuana legalization efforts to the debate over legalizing same-sex marriage, saying that once a few states act, it will reveal the falsity of "all the horror stories" perpetuated by opponents. [continues 268 words]
SEATTLE - Backers of new laws that legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado were cautiously optimistic after President Barack Obama said Uncle Sam wouldn't pursue pot users in those states. Following the November votes in Washington and Colorado, the Justice Department reiterated that marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but had been vague about what its specific response would be. In a Barbara Walters interview that aired Friday on ABC, President Barack Obama said: "It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view" to focus on drug use in states where it is now legal. [continues 542 words]
In his Nov. 12 opinion piece, "Is the war on drugs worth it? At what cost?," Earl W. Davis characterizes the Obama administration's drug control policy as a "war" and likens it to America's experience with Prohibition in the early 20th century. On both points, he expresses an outdated view that does not reflect the comprehensive approach to prevention, treatment, recovery, and criminal justice reform being applied to the nation's drug problem today. The federal government is currently spending more on drug education and treatment ($10.4 billion) than on law enforcement ($9.2 billion) and when it comes to law enforcement, the administration is implementing a range of innovative public safety interventions that save tax dollars, treat addiction, and reduce criminal recidivism. In the past three years, drug treatment courts have sent approximately 120,000 offenders annually into drug treatment instead of prison. Through enhanced probation programs like Project HOPE in Hawaii, probationers are experiencing dramatic reductions in drug use as a result of drug testing and swift, certain, but reasonable sanctions. And through its support for the Second Chance Act, the administration has underscored the importance of substance abuse treatment, employment, mentoring, and other services that improve the transition of individuals from the criminal justice system to a new life in the community. [continues 133 words]
EAST PIKELAND - A Phoenixville man was arrested on drug charges Monday after he allegedly dropped two bags of heroin inside Citadel Federal Credit Union. [name redacted], 25, of the first block of East Walnut Street, is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct. According to court documents, officer Ken Smith responded to the Citadel Federal Credit Union, 558 Kimberton Road, for a report of possible drugs found in the bank around 1:52 p.m. Aug. 16. Smith said upon arrival, he spoke with bank management, who advised him that one of the bank tellers found two bags of a white powder in a blue wrapper lying on the floor of the bank in front of the bank counter. [continues 319 words]
Inside the green neon sign, which is shaped like a marijuana leaf, is a red cross. The cross serves the fiction that most transactions in the store -- which is what it really is -- involve medicine. The U.S. Justice Department recently announced that federal laws against marijuana would not be enforced for possession of marijuana that conforms to states' laws. In 2000, Colorado legalized medical marijuana. Since Justice's decision, the average age of the 400 persons a day seeking "prescriptions" at Colorado's multiplying medical marijuana dispensaries has fallen precipitously. Many new customers are college students. [continues 624 words]
Parents' dreams for their children often include, among other things, a good education, good friends, a good job and all the things they didn't have and more. Among the things they don't want for their children is a drug addiction. But for a number of teenagers who've been raised in suburban middle and upper-middle class households, the possibility of becoming addicted to drugs is a reality, and the gateway to that addiction may be sitting in your medicine cabinet. [continues 3245 words]
Drug users in the area are experiencing firsthand that a fentanyl induced high is not far from a long goodbye. Fentanyl, a pain killing drug normally administered by an anesthesiologist, is making headway as a party drug. Since April of this year, Montgomery and Berks counties have reported more than 30 fentanyl-related deaths. In Philadelphia, 70 deaths and up to 220 overdoses have occurred, and in the tri-state area, there have been 200 deaths and 500 overdoses, according to a 2006 Pennsylvania State Police report. [continues 732 words]
LOWER POTTSGROVE -- Six months into the academic year, the Pottsgrove School District has already expelled 14 students -- seven of them Tuesday night. Throughout all of the last academic year, the district expelled 12 students. Assistant Superintendent Joseph Bender said three of those expelled Tuesday night were high school students whose expulsion was the result of violations of the district's drug policy. On Feb. 8, lockers, classrooms and cars in the Pottsgrove High School parking lot were searched and, at the time, school officials said one student was charged. [continues 246 words]
NORRISTOWN -- Montgomery County investigators have a new battleground in their ongoing war against drug dealers -- cyberspace. Although proud of the accomplishments of the 421 special county detectives who patrol some of the county's meanest streets with the Municipal Police Drug Task Force, District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. has turned to the Internet for help in tracking down dangerous drug dealers who are trolling the county's neighborhoods. Concerned citizens can now provide tips to the task force through a special Web site at www.montcopa.org/da/drugtaskforce [continues 693 words]
BOYERTOWN --The Boyertown Area School Board recently voted to eliminate a districtwide policy that required random drug and alcohol testing for all school athletes. The board voted 8-0 to drop the policy. Board member Leonard Melcher was absent. "We feel that random drug and alcohol testing is not necessary at this time," Superintendent Charles Amuso said. Amuso said 1,000 student-athletes have been tested over the last seven years and only three have tested positive. Before the elimination of the policy, every member of the Boyertown Area Senior High School athletic program and cheerleading squads was forced to submit to random urine testing throughout the sports seasons. [continues 389 words]
UNIVERSITY PARK - Ed Rendell probably summed it up best when he said the four gubernatorial candidates participating in Thursday's debate "had a little bit of fun - and Ken's been responsible for most of it." The Democratic nominee, in his closing statement, referenced the amount of applause, cheers and overall laughter the Libertarian Ken Krawchuk garnered from the crowd of more than 1,000 people with his colorful remarks - statements claiming that women who carry firearms are less likely to be sexually assaulted than those who don't. [continues 394 words]
