Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf have helped to ease some medical patients' suffering by legalizing the use of prescribed medical marijuana. Now, their task is to see if the same rare bipartisan cooperation that led to the new law can ease the commonwealth's pain from polarized, unproductive governance. The bill, which also promotes further research into the medicinal value of marijuana, is a healthy departure from the political paralysis that has produced such debacles as the longest budget impasse in Pennsylvania history. [continues 52 words]
Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf have helped to ease some medical patients' suffering by legalizing the use of prescribed medical marijuana. Now, their task is to see if the same rare bipartisan cooperation that led to the new law can ease the commonwealth's pain from polarized, unproductive governance. The bill, which also promotes further research into the medicinal value of marijuana, is a healthy departure from the political paralysis that has produced such debacles as the longest budget impasse in Pennsylvania history. Ultimately, the bill became law because enough lawmakers focused on Pennsylvanians' needs rather than on politics alone. The same approach by lawmakers, rather than digging in their heels on ideological grounds, might produce similar results on other important but stalled initiatives. [end]
The House Voted 149-46 in Favor; Gov. Wolf Will Sign Bill HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania is set to become the latest state to legalize medical marijuana as the Legislature sent a bill to the governor on Wednesday, after parents of children suffering from debilitating seizures circulated the Capitol urging lawmakers to act. The House voted, 149-46, capping several years of door-to-door lobbying by parents and more than a year-and-a-half since the state Senate first approved a medical marijuana bill in 2014. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has indicated he will sign it. [continues 644 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania is set to become the latest state to legalizemedical marijuana as the Legislature sent a bill to the governor on Wednesday, after parents of children suffering from debilitating seizures circulated the Capitol urging lawmakers to act. The House voted, 14946, capping several years of door-to-door lobbying by parents and more than a year-and-a-half since the state Senate first approved a medical marijuana bill in 2014. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has indicated he will sign it. [continues 660 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - The state Senate passed medical marijuana legislation for the second time in less than a year on Tuesday, and backers said they hope the House will accept the changes and send it to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf 's desk later this week. The issue has won overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers after years of advocates, primarily the parents of children who suffer daily seizures and have lost their ability to function intellectually at their age levels, going door to door in the Capitol. [continues 413 words]
Far out. It's taken much longer than it rightly should have, but the Pennsylvania Legislature is on the cusp of approving a bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes in the Keystone State. We are not fans of much what is happening these days in the state Capitol, where partisan gridlock is now the norm, and where Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican leaders in the House and Senate lobbed grenades at each other for nine months in an extended budget standoff, a crisis that had real effects and hurt real people and key organizations. [continues 677 words]
Both houses of Pennsylvania's legislature have belatedly voted to take the merciful and pragmatic step of legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. The trouble is that, particularly in the House, lawmakers couldn't resist saddling the measure with overwrought restrictions reminiscent of the Rube Goldberg bureaucracy the state still imposes on another long-prohibited drug, alcohol. The state Senate can either substantially improve the legislation, which would require reapproval by the lower chamber, or largely accept it, getting the measure to Gov. Wolf's desk as quickly as possible and leaving major changes for another time. The latter course would be wiser. [continues 110 words]
HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania lawmakers moved Monday to put final touches on a bill to legalize medical marijuana, reviving a longdebated measure that had stalled near the finish line last month. The Senate agreed to add a few technical changes to the House-approved bill. Republican leaders who control both chambers say that barring last-minute objections, the legislation could land on Gov. Wolf's desk for a signature this week. "I believe everyone is acting in good faith, but I will be holding my breath until the final vote is taken," said Sen. Daylin Leach (D., Montgomery), who, with Republican Sen. Mike Folmer of Lebanon County, has championed the bill. [continues 350 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Senate backers said Monday that they hope medical marijuana legislation will get to Gov. Tom Wolf 's desk this week and start what could be a two-year process of setting up regulations for growers, dispensaries and physicians. A Senate committee approved changes to a bill that passed the House last month. Backers said they expect a final Senate vote today, followed by a final House vote on Wednesday. The Democratic governor supports the bill. The changes were designed to eliminate potential glitches in how the set up and regulation of the industry is supposed to work, Senate officials said. [continues 389 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Senate backers said Monday that they hope medical marijuana legislation will get to Gov. Tom Wolf 's desk this week and start what could be a two-year process of setting up regulations for growers, dispensaries and physicians. A Senate committee approved changes to a bill that passed the House last month. Backers said they expect a final Senate vote today, followed by a final House vote on Wednesday. The Democratic governor supports the bill. The changes were designed to eliminate potential glitches in how the set up and regulation of the industry is supposed to work, Senate officials said. [continues 388 words]
Requests Decriminalization of Small Amount of Marijuana A former Pottsville native Monday asked the city council to pass an ordinance to allow residents to possess "a small amount" of marijuana, "30 grams or less." "I am here tonight to request that the city adopt a progressive and rational ordinance regarding the decriminalization of marijuana, allowing possession of a small amount of marijuana in the city," Vincenzo "Vince" Mercuri, the founder of Marijuana Farmers University, based in California, said at City Hall. [continues 810 words]
Nixon's Drug Assault Hurt Blacks and Dissidents Did Richard Nixon create the war on drugs as a political tool to attack African-Americans and dissidents? A Nixon aide claimed as much, and it would not be surprising. Mr. Nixon's paranoia was well known, even before he left office in disgrace in 1974. He divided the world between friends and enemies. Blacks and left-wing war protesters were clearly in the latter camp. An article about the war on drugs in this month's Harper's magazine cites a 1994 interview the writer conducted with John Ehrlichman, the former Nixon domestic policy chief, who characterized the administration's policies as an intentional assault on people. "By getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin ... and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities," said Mr. Ehrlichman, who died in 1999. [continues 216 words]
The biggest news in Pennsylvania involving marijuana is the new law authorizing its use as medicine, which was long overdue. But a bill also is pending in the Legislature that would authorize something involving the plant that is even more overdue. It would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. The plant is a form of marijuana that does not contain THC, the chemical that makes pot either high-inducing or therapeutic. But hemp is incredibly versatile otherwise. Around the world, it is grown in more than 30 countries and used in more than 25,000 products. According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States imported about $600 million worth of hemp in 2013. [continues 117 words]
Editor: I read with disbelief the March 25 article, "Cops: Teacher smoking pot at St. Pat's parade." I had to reread it. On a day when the beer taps are open from early morning hours and revelers of various states of inebriation are in the streets, the police arrested a Pittston Area teacher and her friend for smoking marijuana at a picnic table away from the crowd. She was not only arrested, she was suspended by the Pittston Area School Board. The suspect, Tia Biscotti, was engaged in an activity that is illegal in Pennsylvania, but legal in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia. It did not occur while she was teaching and she was not on school property. [continues 125 words]
NEW BLOOMFIELD - State Senate candidate John DiSanto on Monday night trashed the decades long "war on drugs" and said he supported legalizing marijuana for recreational use. John DiSanto says he supports legalizing marijuana John DiSanto, a GOP candidate running for the 15th state Senate District nomination, talks about supporting legalizing marijuana for recreational use following a March 28, 2016 debate. DiSanto, a Republican running for the 15th state Senate District nomination, disputed that marijuana was a gateway drug and said that the federal government's "war on drugs" only has exacerbated the problem. [continues 357 words]
A recent Inquirer article described the high cost of medical marijuana in New Jersey ("New Jersey's medical marijuana prices could be nation's highest," March 18). The average cost of $489 an ounce is indeed exorbitant, denying poor patients a means of treating pain, nausea, and insomnia - just a few of marijuana's remarkable qualities. As a Stage 4 pancreatic cancer survivor, I can attest to these benefits personally. Moreover, New Jersey's marijuana dispensaries charge a $200 fee for every patient and caregiver. No dispensary accepts credit card payments, so patients are forced to carry large sums of cash, making this a crime waiting to happen to the most sick and vulnerable. And there are limited numbers of authorized doctors and dispensaries in the state, which makes obtaining treatment more difficult, especially for the poor. All in all, New Jersey's medical marijuana program is falling very short of meeting the needs of all its citizens, rich and poor. Saul Lichtine, Voorhees [end]
I would like to applaud the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for its recent vote approving the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes ("Pa. House votes to legalize medical marijuana," March 17). The bill had languished in committee in previous sessions primarily due to a small but powerful minority that opposed this source of potential relief for thousands of Pennsylvanians in need. When finally allowed to come up for a vote, the bill passed by an overwhelming majority, 149-43, which closely matches the results of a recent Quinnipiac University poll of Pennsylvania residents on the medical marijuana issue. It was refreshing to see the will of the people carried out by our elected officials. This vote truly demonstrated democracy in action. Jeffrey Fogel, M.D., Ambler, docfog4308@yahoo.com [end]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Some key Senate backers of medical marijuana legalization are expressing concern about a marijuana bill passed by the House last week, raising the possibility of a delay in getting the drug into the hands of Pennsylvania patients suffering from conditions such as cancer and epilepsy. Senate staff and lawyers found what they say are numerous flaws in the legislation passed by the House last week. Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, who sponsored the initial bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last year, might press for changes and another vote by both chambers instead of agreeing to the House version and sending it to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature. [continues 108 words]
HARRISBURG (AP) - Some key Senate backers of medical marijuana legalization are expressing concern about a marijuana bill passed by the House last week, raising the possibility of a delay in getting the drug into the hands of Pennsylvania patients suffering from conditions like cancer and epilepsy. Senate staff and lawyers found what they say are numerous flaws in the legislation passed by the House last week. Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, who sponsored the initial bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last year, might press for changes and another vote by both chambers instead of agreeing to the House version and sending it to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature. [continues 341 words]
Senate Republicans say the House passed a bill so altered that it might need reworking, further delaying its trip to Wolf's desk. A week after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took a long-awaited vote to legalize medical marijuana, key backers are worried that the law's implementation could be slowed or even derailed by last-minute changes to the measure. Senate Republicans say that the 154-page legislation passed by the House was a gutted and heavily revised version of their original 69-page bill, and that some of the changes could be so problematic that they could unnecessarily delay getting medical marijuana into patients' hands. [continues 630 words]
Inside Pennsylvania
