Pubdate: Wed, 25 Mar 2015
Source: Daily Review (Towanda, PA)
Copyright: 2015 The Daily Review
Contact:  http://www.thedailyreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1015
Author: Eric Hrin

MEDICAL CANNABIS HEARING HELD

'Communities That Care' Shares Information

A representative of Bradford County Communities That Care was among 
those scheduled to appear at a hearing on medical marijuana Tuesday 
in Philadelphia.

According to Rep. Matt Baker's website, the hearing concerned the 
practical implications of legalizing medical cannabis in Pennsylvania 
and its impact on health care professionals.

Baker (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter), chairman of the House Health 
Committee, and Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), chair man of the House 
Judiciary Committee, held the combined hearing. Baker, however, was 
unable to attend the hearing, due to a death in the family.

Joyce P. Kerrick, executive director of Partners in Family and 
Community Development in Towanda, provided a copy of the remarks of 
program coordinator Melissa Sentiff, who was to appear at the hearing.

noted that she was asked to appear at the hearing as a member of the 
Communities That Care prevention coalition to provide educational 
materials about the science of marijuana and marijuana use.

"As a coalition, we are not allowed to lobby for any particular point 
of view," Kerrick explained. "We can educate the public and that is 
what we were trying to do..."

Here are some selected excerpts taken from the prepared copy of 
Sentiff 's speech:

"Another effect of medical marijuana is how easily it can be diverted 
from licensed users to teens. In states with legal medical marijuana, 
teens report it is 'fairly easy' or 'very easy' to access."

"States with legal medical marijuana lead the nation with the highest 
rate of past month marijuana use among 12-17 year olds. As the debate 
on medical marijuana continues, trends show that youth are increasing 
their marijuana use, but their perceived risk of harm is decreasing. 
The 2013 Pennsylvania Youth Survey shows a slight decrease in the 
perceived risk of har m, compared to 2011. In other words, young 
people do not perceive a risk of harming themselves by using marijuana."

"Studies show that marijuana is particularly harmful to developing 
brains of young people, causing longterm impairment in mental development."

"Adolescents under the age of 18 who use marijuana more than once a 
week may lose up to 8 IQ points, which may put them at a disadvantage 
when compared to peers. Lower IQ leads to poor academic performance 
due (to) the negative effects on motivation, memory and learning. It 
may make it more difficult for them to get jobs and be productive 
members of society."

"Data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that one in 
six adolescents that try marijuana become addicted."

"Marijuana touches public safety by affecting users' short-term 
memory, judgment, mental aptitude, and motor coordination. It is the 
most prevalent illegal drug in impaired driving and motor vehicle crashes."

When asked if he heard anything about the hearing, Baker said, "I 
heard it went well..."

Two additional public hearings on the issue are scheduled, according to Baker.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom