Senate Will Consider Legislation Next HARRISBURG - The House on Wednesday approved allowing the medical use of marijuana in Pennsylvania, sending the legislation to the Senate, which has approved medical cannabis bills in the past. The vote was 149-43, with all voting Democrats and more than half of Republicans in support. Advocates and Gov. Tom Wolf applauded the House vote, which followed emotional debate from supporters and opponents alike. Julie Michaels, who has traveled to the state Capitol from her home in Fayette County to advocate for medical marijuana, said she felt a "huge sense of relief that we got through the House, which had been our biggest stumbling block to this point." [continues 410 words]
PA. House Takes Up Medical Marijuana Legislation HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania House on Monday took up legislation to allow the medical use of marijuana in the state, beginning to prepare the bill to send back to the Senate later this week. By a vote of 152-38, the House approved a comprehensive amendment from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin, that would establish a system of growers and dispensaries to provide marijuana to patients with certain conditions who receive certification from a doctor. The House considered a number of other amendments before adjourning for the night, with plans to continue today. [continues 346 words]
HARRISBURG - After months on the back burner, legislation to permit the medical use of marijuana in Pennsylvania is scheduled for a House vote this week. The Senate approved medical marijuana bills in September 2014 and again in May 2015, and Gov. Tom Wolf supports allowing the treatment. But the legislation, which would establish a highly regulated industry and which faced opposition from some House Republican leaders, did not fly through the House. The chamber held hearings and convened a task force to study the issue. [continues 512 words]
Corbett Promises to Veto Legislation HARRISBURG - Proponents of allowing medical marijuana use in Pennsylvania filled a Senate hearing room Tuesday, describing their hopes that components of the plant could help children with seizures and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Senators on the Law & Justice Committee heard from mothers who said their children have suffered not just from severe seizures but also from the medications prescribed as treatment. One mother urged legislators to put aside "preconceived notions" of cannabis. Joe Mirt, a Pennsylvania Army National Guard combat veteran who lives in Carrick, described his attempts to cope with what he suspects to be PTSD through alcohol and then through medications that were accompanied by serious side effects. [continues 222 words]
HARRISBURG - Scan the Pennsylvania Legislature for a likely proponent of legalizing medical marijuana, and you probably wouldn't pick Sen. Mike Folmer. A Republican whose district includes Lebanon and part of Lancaster counties, Mr. Folmer was named by the American Conservative Union last year as one of just 10 "defenders of liberty" in the General Assembly. His website features a pledge to hamper tax increases and support the right-to-work policies feared by labor unions. But as of late, Mr. Folmer has become a public face of an otherwise Democratic-led effort to allow cannabis in the treatment of certain serious medical conditions. [continues 1182 words]
Sponsor 'Hesitant To Get Too Excited' Legislators voted yesterday to legalize marijuana for some seriously ill patients, sending Gov. John Lynch a bill he said he has yet to study. If passed into law, New Hampshire would become the 14th state to allow medicinal marijuana use for severely sick patients. In a move geared to winning the governor's approval, senators and representatives passed a bill that - unlike versions passed in March and April - would not allow patients to grow marijuana at home. [continues 482 words]
