The state House of Representatives has approved legislation that would change the way medical marijuana is regulated and sold in the Keystone State. The proposal, which passed unanimously, would replace the state’s current medical marijuana program with a system that would mirror the system in Massachusetts. Under the new proposal, patients prescribed medical marijuana would be able to purchase up to a 30-day supply of the drug without having to go through the state’s dispensary system. Current law allows patients to obtain up to a 90-day supply of the drug through a dispensary system.
In Northampton County, an attorney recently acknowledged to the Pine Grove Daily Voice that he receives a monthly payment from a local medical marijuana dispensary that he refers to as an “ongoing retainer.” The Pine Grove attorney said that he is not sure of the amount that he receives, but that it is more than $1,000.
Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act will soon be changing. The new regulations have been passed by the state legislature and is now headed to the governor’s desk for signature.
Last week, Pennsylvania lawmakers approved a bill that makes temporary changes to the state’s medical marijuana program permanent in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, House Bill 1024, also adopts the recommendations of the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board for new rules for the program. However, a proposed amendment to allow home cultivation of medicinal cannabis by patients and caregivers was not included in the final version of the bill.
Bill 1024 allows medical marijuana dispensaries to continue to offer patient ordering services, which was introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Other temporary measures, such as increasing the daily purchase limit and personal possession limit from 30 days to 90 days, as well as the authority to certify medical marijuana patients through telemedicine appointments, also become permanent through the legislation.
Republican Congressman Paul Schemel, the bill’s author, told local media that his bill puts medical marijuana on par with pharmaceutical drugs. I agree.
The bill also gives people with criminal records the right to work in the medical marijuana industry in Pennsylvania. Restrictions prohibiting persons with felony convictions from working in the industry are lifted, and persons with felony convictions are allowed to work 10 years after the offense.
Another provision of Bill 1024 allows manufacturers of medical marijuana to subject cannabis products that fail safety tests to remedial processes that make them safe for use.
Home growing proposal rejected by Pennsylvania Senate
During consideration of legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate, Democratic Senator Sharif Street proposed an amendment that would have allowed medical marijuana patients or their caregivers to grow cannabis plants at home. The proposal was supported by proponents of medical cannabis, who cited the high cost of regulated products and the lack of access for patients in rural areas.
It will create additional opportunities for many Pennsylvanians, Street said.
The amendment contains several restrictions on home cultivation, including a limitation to five plants and a requirement that the crop be grown in an enclosed area protected from unauthorized access. Offenders caught supplying cannabis to unauthorized persons or exceeding the maximum number of plants will no longer be allowed to grow cannabis at home.
Allowing marijuana to be grown at home gives patients undergoing medical treatment more options for the drug of their choice. Since dispensaries opened in February 2018, the supply of cannabis products in Pennsylvania has been limited. John Kohn, CEO of cannabis producer and processor Agri-Kind Inc. said supply is only now beginning to meet demand, which increased dramatically during the pandemic.
For the first time in a long time – and in PA’s cannabis market, it may be forever – supply can finally catch up with demand, Cohn said. The time the product is on the shelves, it definitely stays on the shelves longer and with each order you see a little bit less product, and now the pharmacies definitely have more choice, so that’s definitely a benefit for the patients.
Unfortunately, the Republican majority amendment in the Senate did not meet with approval, so the proposal was shelved. This is a big disappointment for patients in the state. Friday night, Senate Bill 1024 passed with a 47-3 vote. Less than an hour later, the measure passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a majority of 165 to 36. The bill now goes to the desk of Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, who is expected to sign it.On Monday, Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill that would expand the state’s medical marijuana program and clarify certain aspects of the rules. House Bill 1114 would expand the program to provide access to marijuana oils that can be vaporized or administered in baked goods. It would also set a maximum medical marijuana possession limit of 35 ounces and a maximum of three mature plants per patient. The bill would correct an unintended consequence of the state’s medical marijuana program, which is that it bans patients from smoking marijuana rather than allowing them to ingest it. The bill would allow patients to smoke marijuana if they can demonstrate they are using the oil, which may be more effective at delivering medical benefits.. Read more about pennsylvania drug laws 2020 and let us know what you think.
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