Pennsylvania has not only become part of the national movement to legalize medical marijuana, but has shown the rest of the country what a really well written bill looks like. SB 1182 is considered the best in the country. It's so good that the Senate floor vote on Sept 16 should be 46-4 or better. It was voted out of the law and justice committee unanimously. A group named the Campaign for Compassion, in conjunction with Senators Daylin Leach and Mike Folmer, is now considered the strongest lobby in Pennsylvania. Not one of the 1,015 members are paid. [continues 168 words]
Medical marijuana has been known since Phoenician times for its healing and psychologically uplifting properties for most. I am speaking specifically about the plant being used as delineated in Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1182. When passed, Pennsylvania will become the 24th state to exercise its states' right to afford doctors the option of prescribing it. The federal government has decreed this is a state matter. In other parts of the world, patients are being effectively weaned off antidepressants and pain and blood-pressure medications, to name a sampling of why it's important. It is the only remedy for certain conditions such as Dravet Syndrome. [continues 139 words]
I was diagnosed with dementia about four years ago. Symptoms preceded the diagnosis by several years and caused me to take an early disability retirement. Existing medication only works for a finite length of time, that varies from patient to patient. I may have as little as three years to recognize my children and grand-children. Medical marijuana is known to extend the cognitive lifespan. Gov. Corbett has said he will categorically refuse to sign any law legalizing medical marijuana. Congresswoman Schwarz has yet to make her positon clear. John Hanger knows we are enforcing laws passed without benefit of current medical evidence and wants to use it for the public good. [continues 101 words]
Why D.A.R.E? The Oct. 7 article, "Upvalley schools get funds to battle drug use," has prompted this first-time letter from me. The article relates that statistics show the students of St. Helena and Calistoga are at a frightening number in their use of drugs and alcohol. Further, these statistics are significantly higher than the statewide averages. Shirin Vakharia of the Napa County Department of Health and Human Services revealed that drug use is dropping across California, however St. Helena and Calistoga students have a high rate of drug use and binge drinking. [continues 681 words]
