Medical marijuana bill passed in House, recreational use not being considered for legalization

• Tyler Arnold

After passing in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a clear majority, Senate Bill 3, which legalizes the use of medical marijuana in certain cases, is likely to be passed in the Senate and signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf. However, the Senate and the governor are not considering the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana at this time.

The bill, which was introduced by the Senate, must go back to the Senate. Senate Republican spokesperson Jennifer Kocher said the bill has been amended in the House, but “nothing stood out as bad” and they have not seen anything that they think will prevent them from approving it.

Wolf’s press secretary Jeffrey Sheridan said Wolf has been fighting for the legal use of medical marijuana his entire time in office, so it is expected that Wolf will sign the bill into law.

“I applaud the Pennsylvania House for passing legislation to legalize medical marijuana, and I look forward to the Senate sending the bill to my desk," Wolf said in a statement on his website. "We will finally provide the essential help needed by patients suffering from seizures, cancer and other illnesses.”

Sheridan said it is important to allow patients to use medical marijuana for “doctor-recommended and scientifically proven” reasons.

Sheridan said “the bill allows for medical marijuana to be dispensed in the form of pills; oil; topical forms including gel, creams or ointments; vaporization or nebulization; tincture; liquid.”

Also, the bill only allows medical marijuana to be used for things specifically stated in the bill, and cannot be assigned to anyone for any purpose, Kocher said.

Kocher said that this is to be used for very specific purposes, so she does not believe this opens the door for the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. Sheridan said there is “no consideration [of the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana] at this time.”

Kocher said the bill was introduced by State Senator Mike Folmer who was diagnosed with cancer. Folmer researched the benefits of medical marijuana and knew people who benefited from it, she said. For this reason, Folmer worked hard to make sure the bill passed.

Communications Director of the Penn State College Democrats Luis Rolfo said via email that he is glad the Republicans worked with the Democrats in the Senate to get this bill passed.

“The passage of this bill is a step in the right direction,” he said.

State College’s Democratic representative Scott Conklin was one of the supporters of the bill, and it passed 149-43.