Pennsylvania Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana For Every Illness At Doctor's Discretion

The Pennsylvania Senate Law & Justice Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would loosen up the current medical marijuana program.

In a 10-1 vote, legislators supported the measure that enables physicians to prescribe medical marijuana as a treatment no matter what is the patients’ illness, reported Trib Live.

Under Senate Bill 835, there would no longer be a list of 24 serious conditions that would qualify patients for treatment with medical marijuana, instead, physicians could recommend for any conditions they believe medical cannabis could help.

The legislation, sponsored by Republican Senator Mike Regan, would remove the expiration date on medical marijuana cards and would allow marijuana administration via inhalation.

See Also: PA Seeks To Allow School Nurses To Administer MMJ To Students In Need & Legalize Edibles Under New Bill 

“The ultimate goal is to reduce restrictions on medical marijuana organizations and to reduce the cost and burden on patients through such efforts as eliminating the expiration of medical ID cards and the list of serious medical conditions,” Regan said at the committee meeting. “Nowhere do we dictate to doctors what conditions a patient must have for them to prescribe medication.”

The committee also approved a different measure sponsored by Republican Senator Dan Laughlin that would allow the sale of marijuana edibles. Currently, Pennsylvanians can buy and use medical marijuana products such as pills, oils, topicals, dry leaf (vaporized not smoked), tinctures and liquids, which is something Senate Bill 538 aims to change. 

The idea behind this bill is to provide a safer and tested alternative to marijuana users who prefer edible formats and therefore are relying on illegal sellers on a nearby Indian reservation in New York. 

“Constituents drive up there and, quite frankly, I don’t know who’s manufacturing those products. I don’t know if they’re being tested for potency or anything really,” Laughlin said. “From my standpoint, passing a bill like this is not only convenience for my medical patients who live in my district but also for their safety.” 

Among marijuana operators that would benefit from the edibles policy change given their operational footprint in the Keystone state include Curaleaf Holdings, Inc CURLF, Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TCNNF, Ayr Wellness Inc. AYRWF, and Verano Holdings Corp. VRNOF.

Another cannabis-related bill was approved by the committee on Wednesday. Senate Bill 773, sponsored by Republican Senator Chris Gebhard, would give independent grower processors of medical marijuana extra dispensary permits.

All three bills are now heading to the full Senate for consideration.

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Photo: Benzinga edit with image by Africa Studio on Shutterstock