NEW YORK — A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York. Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, […]
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Proceeds With Medical Cannabis Implementation
Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania signed medical cannabis legislation into law on April 17, and the program has continued to be developed at a steady pace by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). On October 25, DOH Secretary Karen Murphy provided updates on the implementation of Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program at a press conference in the […]
Will Pennsylvania Decriminalize Marijuana?
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf made statements this week indicating his support for policies that would decriminalize use and small amounts of cannabis possession. “There are too many people who are going to prison because of the use of very modest amounts or carry modest amounts of marijuana, and that is clogging up our prisons, it’s […]
Pennsylvania Reveals First Medical Marijuana Program Guidelines
Now that Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program has officially been signed into state law, officials are rolling out the details, rules and regulations of how the program will work. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health recently released the first draft of the new medical marijuana program guidelines, which explain how state-approved growers and processors can cultivate cannabis as […]
Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program To Arrive In 2018
The state Health Department’s medical marijuana program is expected to launch by early 2018, state health officials said Tuesday. “The department is being very thoughtful and thorough in our approach to developing and implementing a medically focused program that will benefit patients with serious medical conditions,” said Dr. Karen Murphy, the state’s health secretary, in […]
Pennsylvania Passes Bill To Legalize Industrial Hemp
Industrial hemp will soon become legal in Pennsylvania. House Bill 967 passed the state House and Senate this week and allows for pilot programs to begin industrial hemp research under the oversight of the Department of Agriculture. A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he would sign the bill into law. Hemp can be […]
Will Pennsylvania Really be the Template for All Medical Marijuana States?
Harrisburg’s decision in early April to legalize medical marijuana in the state of Pennsylvania has set several wheels in motion, including those at the Department of Health, which has six months, beginning on May 17, to craft the necessary regulations. Leaping into the fray is U.S. Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research and Development, which hosted two business […]
Pennsylvania Is Now the 24th State of the Canna-Union
By Jonathan Gilinski On April 17, 2016, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed “The Medical Marijuana Act” (Senate Bill 3) into law, confirming that Pennsylvania is officially the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana. By Pennsylvania participating in the medical marijuana movement, more than half of all Americans will now live in a medical marijuana state. […]
How Pennsylvania Employers Deal With Workers Using Medical Marijuana
The Pennsylvania House and Senate have been abuzz in the last few weeks with SB3, the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act, which was signed into law. Why is the Medical Marijuana Act important to Pennsylvania employers and employment law attorneys? Because employees have protections under this act in the workplace, and the law specifically sets forth […]
Getting a Medical Marijuana License in Pennsylvania May Be an Expensive Proposition
Following Sunday’s passage of the medical marijuana bill, future prospective dispensary owners are preparing for an application process, which one cannabis educational organization says will be an expensive proposition. Russ Cersosimo, director of strategic alliances for the Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society, said groups should expect to pay up to $1 million just to be in […]
It’s Official: Governor Signs Billl Legalizing Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania makes 24. By signing the legislation on Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf put the commonwealth in the company of 23 other states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana for medical use. Before a large celebratory crowd gathered in the Capitol Rotunda, Wolf put his name on a measure that undoubtedly will be […]
Pennsylvania Governor Ready to Sign Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana
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, set off cheers in the ornate chamber and capped several years of door-to-door […]
Pennsylvania Makes Another Push on Medical Marijuana Bill
Pennsylvania lawmakers moved Monday to put final touches on a bill to legalize medical marijuana, reviving a long-debated 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 […]
Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Bill Struggling to Get Through State Legislature
A vote on a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania isn’t expected until next week at the earliest. Sources on Thursday said leaders and staffers in the state House and Senate continue to review the recently-passed House legalization bill and discuss possible tweaks. It remains a delicate situation. The bill originated in the Senate […]
Pittsburgh City Council Votes to Reduce Penalties for Marijuana Possession and Use
Possessing or smoking a small amount of marijuana in the city of Pittsburgh will be punishable by a summary offense, rather than a misdemeanor as state law mandates, Pittsburgh City Council decreed today. Council voted 8-1, with the lone nay vote from Councilwoman Darlene Harris who consistently argued that decriminalization must happen on the state […]
New Roadblocks For Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Bill
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 […]
Pennsylvania Moves Closer to Legalizing Medical Marijuana
Pennsylvania appears poised to join 22 other states in allowing medical marijuana to be given patients suffering from various diseases and ailments, some terminal. House lawmakers relented Wednesday after years of resistance, voting 149-43 in favor of dispensing as a prescription what many have viewed as an illegal gateway drug. Final Senate approval of the amended […]
Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania Moves a Little Bit Closer
Diana Briggs has traveled from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg more than 20 times in the past 28 months, fighting for the right to give medical marijuana to her 15-year-old son, who is disabled by constant seizures which aren’t controlled with approved drugs. On Tuesday morning she was at the Capitol for the second consecutive day, but […]
