Editor's Note: Pennsylvania got a burst of energy behind its medical marijuana initiative–as well as for decriminalization–as soon as Tom Wolf was elected governor. As 6ABC reported in November 2014, Wolf said he "would sign legislation to legalize marijuana for broader medicinal purposes and supports decriminalizing possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.” And the co-sponsors of the bill are seizing the opportunity, and intending to make Pennsylvania's medical marijuana initiative not only more liberal than the previous bill that died last year, but also more liberal than most states' medical marijuana bills. The bill's co-sponsors, according to this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, are "planning to add an amendment to SB 3 … that would eliminate enumerated conditions altogether, leaving the prescribing decision to medical professionals."
Advocates for legalizing medical marijuana in Pennsylvania are confident that a change in administration and in legislative attitudes will lead to a bill that is more complete and progressive than a watered-down measure that died last year.
“It’s definitely going to be more comprehensive under a strictly regulated medical environment,” state Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, said of Senate Bill 3, which calls for medical marijuana legalization. Like last year’s effort, he and Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, are co-sponsors.
Last year’s bill, SB 1182, passed the Senate, 43-7, in September but did not move to the House, where the Republican leadership was skeptical of passage. Additionally, then-Gov. Tom Corbett had opposed the legislation.
