But one cannabis activist fears Pennsylvania's medical marijuana legislation will be stalled and ultimately limited
Sen.
Mike Folmer, a Republican who represents parts of York County, talks
during an event in North Londonderry Township, Lebanon County, in April.
Folmer, who sponsored medical marijuana legislation in the Senate said
he was invited to a meeting with a House work group that met 10 times to
discuss medical marijuana legislation. A nine-page memo with
recommendations from the group was released this week. "You can tell
they worked hard on this," Folmer said of the ad hoc group.
While he has "quibbles" with the nine-page memo prepared by House Majority Policy Chair Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, Leach said the list of recommendations is something he could see the Senate voting for and moving to Gov. Tom Wolf's desk.
Focusing on treatable conditions, delivery methods, distribution and patient access, the recommendations came from a 13-member, bipartisan medical marijuana work group formed by House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County. The group met 10 times between July and September, the memo states.
The memo shows the House is serious about this, said Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon County, who is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 3, which would legalize some forms of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania for specific conditions.
Chris Goldstein, executive director of PhillyNORML, wants to know when the recommendations will become amendments. The memo is merely a list of recommendations from legislators who have generally supported medical marijuana, Goldstein said.
"I have a feeling this will be held hostage until a budget is passed," Goldstein said, noting that the recommendations don't expand anything from S.B. 3, which cleared the Senate in May.
The House has been hesitant in taking up medical marijuana legislation. S.B. 3 was referred to the House Health Committee, where it was blocked, before being re-referred to the chamber's Rules Committee in June. A separate bill in the House, H.B. 1432, was introduced in June. Critics of that bill, proposed by state Rep. Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin County, said it was an extremely limited version of Folmer's bill.
Reed would like to get something drafted and passed, said Stephen Miskin, Reed's spokesman. A final bill could be prepared before the year is up, he said.
If lawmakers work expeditiously, a medical marijuana bill could reach the governor's desk by Nov. 1, Leach said.
The recommendations:
The state Department of Health would be the governing and licensing authority for a medical marijuana program that would be managed by a voluntary board consisting of no more than 19 members, representing the medical field, law enforcement, each legislative caucus and drug and alcohol treatment programs.
The majority of the group wanted at least 65 dispensaries for the state that would be spread out geographically based on the size of the patient group served by the medical marijuana program, according to the memo. But since not everyone agreed to that, the report advised Reed to continue work to determine the need, access and internal caucus politics that would pinpoint a number of growers, processors and dispensaries.
The free market should determine the state's need for growers, processors and prices of medical marijuana, said Rep. Mike Regan, R-Carroll Township, who was one of the members of the work group. Without free market involvement, Regan said, the price for the drug could be too costly, forcing people to seek alternatives on the black market.
Conditions recommended by the group:
Cancer (includes spinocerebellara ataxia), ALS, HIV/AIDS (includes cachexia/wasting syndrome), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and seizures, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, neuropathies, inflammatory bowel disease, Huntington's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, Crohn's disease and chronic/intractable pain.
Delivery methods recommended:
Pills, oils, topical (lotions, salves, etc.) and vaporization, the memo states. Smoking and commercially produced edibles should be prohibited as these methods present the greatest risk for diversion as well as contributes to the appearance of recreational use.
An in-state research component should be established for medical marijuana, allowing the state to apply for and receive federal waivers to collect patient and clinical data as part of a research program funded by taxes and fees collected from the state's medical marijuana program, the memo states.
Funding medical marijuana
There is currently no "medical marijuana" line item in the proposed general fund budget, according to the state's Department of Health.
The department plans to use a $2 million grant that is part of the Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement, or CURE program, to fund a medical marijuana pilot study, said Amy Worden, health department press secretary.
The health department will solicit proposals for a cannabidiol, or CBD oil, study that will examine the use of the marijuana extract to treat children with epileptic seizures. That program was initially unveiled in 2014 by then-Gov. Tom Corbett. Gov. Wolf's press office has pledged the governor's support for the program that likely won't begin treating patients until next year.
The program was initially slated to be conducted by physicians at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Health officials are considering qualified facilities in the state that can conduct research studies that meet the program's requirements.
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