Pubdate: Sat, 22 Feb 2014
Source: Daily Item (Sunbury, PA)
Copyright: 2014 The Daily Item
Contact:  http://www.dailyitem.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1045
Author: Evamarie Socha

MEDICAL POT PUSH GROWS ON AREA POLS

SUNBURY - Three Valley Republican politicians are leaning toward 
legalizing medical marijuana under a bill authored by state Sen. Mike 
Folmer -- legislation that would exercise the most control over 
licensed people who would grow the cannabis.

Without elaborating last week, state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85, of 
Kreamer, said he favors the use of medical marijuana for children who need it.

State Sens. Gene Yaw, R-23, of Loyalsock Township, and John Gordner, 
R-27, of Berwick, also said they would support the legislation by 
Folmer, a Lebanan County Republican.

While state Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-108, Sunbury, remains on 
the fence, she said last week 3,000 people commented on the subject 
during a recent "town hall call" conference -- a threefold increase 
over the same topic three months earlier.

"It's overwhelming," Culver said.

As primary election season gets under way in the Valley, the issue is 
one incumbents may have to face, as constituents with children 
suffering from seizure disorders -- which could be eased by a 
cannabis extract -- are desperate to get legislation passed.

"There's been a big push from patients and advocates to take a look 
at this," said Culver, who has heard from both parents and caregivers 
in her district. "They feel medical marijuana has had significant, 
positive results."

State Sens. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, and Folmer brought the topic 
to the forefront in November with their bill to legalize a form of 
marijuana for medicinal use in the commonwealth.

It is Folmer's separate bill that is receiving backing from Valley politicians.

The drug is an extraction called cannabidiol, or CBD, a marijuana 
compound credited with various medical applications without the high, 
which comes from THC. The drug is administered to children with a 
dropper, and to adults in pill form.

Valley legislators are studying the issue and are meeting with 
constituents about it.

But while 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized 
marijuana for medicinal use, "for every answer you think you have, 
there seems to be another question," Culver said.

"This is a little out of our territory," she said, noting the U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration usually makes the call on drugs for treatment.

Keller agreed, and thinks any move toward legalization should be done 
in conjunction with the FDA.

Keller said he's had discussions with parents of seizure-addled 
children as well as people who have contacted his office about 
medical marijuana, particularly the extract.

"If that extract helps kids with seizures, certainly we should do 
it," he said. "Let's work on that."

Keller would not respond to the question of legal recreational use of 
marijuana in Pennsylvania.

Culver said she has not decided on the issue. Her constituents, 
especially those in medical professions and parents of suffering 
children, have been good in providing her with data, which she is 
still reading and studying.

"We're looking at it, taking out all the information, and then we'll 
figure out what is best for Pennsylvania," she said.

Yaw also has an online survey on the topic, and the results so far, 
while he emphasized are not scientific, "are overwhelmingly 
supportive of some form of legalization" for medical use.

Yaw said he, too, has heard from constituents outside the survey on 
the subject. He has no problem legalizing medical marijuana, 
particularly the derivative's use.

Cannabidiol is a compound credited with bringing great relief to 
children with seizure disorders without the side effects of 
conventional medication.

"My biggest concern, which applies to all prescription medications, 
is how do we control it?" Yaw said. "We've never thought about it before now."

It's for that reason Yaw said he favors the bill solely sponsored by 
Folmer, which would exercise more control over growing marijuana by 
licensed people for medicinal use.

Another bill in the Senate Public Health and Welfare committee 
proposes a central registration for all prescription drugs, something 
Yaw thinks would work well with legalized medical marijuana.

Yaw said he's talked with Folmer that the central registration "might 
satisfy a lot of people's concerns about this being abused," he said. 
"There would be a way to check who has the prescription."

Gordner also favors Folmer's sole-sponsored bill over Leach-Folmer 
legislation for the same reason, said Todd Roup, Gordner's chief of staff.

Gordner has heard from doctors who favor legalizing the non-smokable 
forms to help children and adults. Roup met with Cristy Harding, of 
Turbotville, who lives in Gordner's district and whose son Jason has 
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a childhood-onset epilepsy that appeared in 
him at age 2.

Jason has grand mal seizures, up to 60 a day.

Gordner favors the cannabidiol to help children like Jason "as long 
as its kept to nonsmoking marijuana for medical use, not recreational 
use," Roup said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom