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.

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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.

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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.

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Amid a long and dispiriting budget battle, Republican state lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf found common ground last week on an important bill to expand the arsenal of safe drugs used to combat pain.

The House passed a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, 149- 43. In the process, representatives rejected a series of poison-pill amendments by misguided law-and-order advocates that would have made the bill impossible to implement in practice.

Sen. Mike Folmer, a conservative Republican from Lebanon who helped shepherd a similar bill to passage in the Senate last year, expected that the House and Senate bills will be reconciled and sent to Wolf, who plans to sign it.

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While Pennsylvania is closer than ever to making medical marijuana available for patients who need it, some hurdles remain along with important answers to significant questions.

It's been two decades since California became the first state to allow for medicinal use of marijuana and cannabis. Since then, 23 states - along with Guam and Washington, D.C., have enacted similar legislation.

Pennsylvania seems poised to join that list. In one context, it is about time. Enough studies have been done across the nation to justify appropriately managed and maintained medical uses for the drug in various forms. In another vein, opponents argue the state is bypassing the Food and Drug Administration.

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WORCESTER - The passage of a medical marijuana bill this week by the state House has given hope to a Worcester mother who treats her 12-year-old son for daily seizures.

"Ryan was nine months old when he was diagnosed with infantile spasms. The doctors call it intractable epilepsy now that he is older," said Erin McCann. "He has seizures that include head drops of 20 to 40 times over 15 minutes. He has two (seizure) clusters a day from this condition."

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Amid a long and dispiriting budget battle, Republican state lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf found common ground last week on an important bill to expand the arsenal of safe drugs used to combat pain.

The House passed a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, 149-43. In the process, representatives rejected a series of poison-pill amendments by misguided law-and-order advocates that would have made the bill impossible to implement in practice.

Sen. Mike Folmer, a conservative Republican from Lebanon who helped shepherd a similar bill to passage in the Senate last year, expected that the House and Senate bills will be reconciled and sent to Mr. Wolf, who plans to sign it.

[continues 155 words]

Amid a long and dispiriting budget battle, Republican state lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf found common ground last week on an important bill to expand the arsenal of safe drugs used to combat pain.

The House passed a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, 149-43. In the process, representatives rejected a series of poison-pill amendments by misguided law-and-order advocates that would have made the bill impossible to implement in practice.

Sen. Mike Folmer, a conservative Republican from Lebanon who helped shepherd a similar bill to passage in the Senate last year, expected that the House and Senate bills to be reconciled and sent to Wolf, who plans to sign it.

[continues 155 words]

Amid a long and dispiriting budget battle, Republican state lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf found common ground last week on an important bill to expand the arsenal of safe drugs used to combat pain.

The House passed a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, 149-43. In the process, representatives rejected a series of poison-pill amendments by misguided law-and-order advocates that would have made the bill impossible to implement in practice.

Sen. Mike Folmer, a conservative Republican from Lebanon who helped shepherd a similar bill to passage in the Senate last year, expected that the House and Senate bills to be reconciled and sent to Wolf, who plans to sign it.

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Editor:

Another reason to allow sick citizens to use cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned (Pennsylvania lawmakers start debating bill to permit the use of medical marijuana, Mar. 15), is because it is Biblically correct since God indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants saying they're all good on literally the very first page of the Bible. The only Biblical restriction to using cannabis is to use it with thankfulness (1 Tim. 4:1-5). Many people know of cannabis as the tree of life and the very last page of the Bible indicates the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.

A sane or moral argument to cage sick people who use cannabis doesn't exist.

Stan White Dillion, Colorado

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Proponents Say Potential Ordinance Would Refocus Police Resources

WILKES-BARRE - Passage of an ordinance downgrading the offense of possession of drug paraphernalia has sparked serious discussion among city officials - on marijuana decriminalization.

Marijuana decriminalization in Wilkes-Barre is largely supported among top city officials and legislators, with only one of five city council members on the "definitely not" end of the scale.

Proponents say decriminalizing possession of small amounts would help refocus police resources on fighting violent and serious drug crimes, alleviate pressure on the state court system and prevent creating or worsening criminal records for low-level offenders.

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Guidelines Aim to Halt Steep Rise in Addiction. but Some Patients Are Worried.

As a teen growing up in Lansdale, Pat Allan may have experimented with painkillers.

But what put him in serious trouble, his family believes, was the Vicodin prescribed after his wisdom teeth were removed in high school. He escalated into abusing prescription opioids bought on the street and their cheaper cousin, heroin.

He was 30 years old when New York City police called to say he had been found dead of an overdose. His little sister Kay listened on her dad's speakerphone.

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Erin Mccann's 12-Year-Old Son Has Intractable Epilepsy, May Benefit From Drug

WORCESTER - The passage of a medical marijuana bill this week by the state House has given hope to a Worcester mother who treats her 12-yearold son for daily seizures.

"Ryan was 9 months old when he was diagnosed with infantile spasms. The doctors call it intractable epilepsy now that he is older," said Erin McCann. "He has seizures that include head drops of 20 to 40 times over 15 minutes. He has two (seizure) clusters a day from this condition."

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PA. on Cusp of Legalizing, but Answer Is Complex.

About half the states have legalized marijuana for medical use, and Pennsylvania appears ready to join them. Most patients who sign up for the drug indicate they're taking it for pain.

But is there evidence that it works?

Simple question, complicated answer. Turns out it works for some kinds of pain, but not others, and helps some people more than others.

"The short answer is yes," said David Casarett, director of palliative care for Penn Medicine and author of Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana. "But I don't think we really know how it works."

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WORCESTER - The passage of a medical marijuana bill this week by the state House has given hope to a Worcester mother who treats her 12-year-old son for daily seizures.

"Ryan was 9 months old when he was diagnosed with infantile spasms. The doctors call it intractable epilepsy now that he is older," said Erin McCann. "He has seizures that include head drops of 20 to 40 times over 15 minutes. He has two (seizure) clusters a day from this condition."

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With Region in Grips of Drug, Alcohol Habits, Hearing Looks for Solutions.

The amount wasn't much.

In Florida, Bobby Long's doctor wrote him a prescription in the winter of 2013 to take 5 milligrams of oxycodone four times a day to curb his sudden neck and arm pain. The patient didn't want to, and the doctor didn't want him to. Both knew Mr. Long was seven years sober from alcohol and cocaine addiction, but tramadol wasn't touching the pain.

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Patients in Pennsylvania who may benefit from medical marijuana are one step closer to getting the help they need after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday.

However, medical professionals in York County are still wary of taking the leap of prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients without knowing the benefits and risks it.

"There is a fair amount of research out there already, but it's patchwork studies and studies done overseas," said Dr. D. Scott McCracken, a member of the York County Medical Society. "We'd prefer to see long-term research before we prescribe it. We want to make sure it's used in a safe and effective way."

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It could be years before patients have access to medical marijuana in Pennsylvania despite a bill to legalize it clearing the House with overwhelming support on Wednesday.

Before officials can start implementing the bill, it first has to pass the Senate and be signed into law.

The legislation, Senate Bill 3, is now back in the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee and is awaiting a concurrence vote on the floor. Since the bill was essentially gutted in the House, where at one point more than 220 proposed amendments were attached, senators will likely thoroughly vet the alterations.

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(AP) - A bill to let Pennsylvania patients who suffer from a list of ailments obtain marijuana for therapeutic purposes easily passed the state House on Wednesday, leaving only approval by the Senate, which overwhelmingly passed a similar bill last year.

The House voted 149-43 for legislation that would set standards for growers, dispensaries and physicians. Patients could take the drug in pill, oil or liquid form, but would not be able to obtain marijuana they could smoke.

Supporters said it would help relieve the suffering of sick people.

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HARRISBURG - Patients and academic researchers would have access to marijuana for medical purposes under milestone legislation to place Pennsylvania among the ranks of states with legal cannabis programs.

The measure approved by House lawmakers Wednesday envisions a research role for hospitals, universities and academic medical centers into the use of medical marijuana to treat diseases.

The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton sees a potential avenue for getting involved with medical marijuana research in the future.

"Some of the proposed uses of medical marijuana may be relevant to TCMC's Behavioral Health Initiative and cancer care in NEPA," said Dr. Steven J. Scheinman, president and dean of the college. "We may develop an interest in research on this topic but have no specific plans at present."

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