FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 10/1/2014

PhillyNORML – local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Contact: Derek Rosenzweig derek@phillynormal.org

Politics Eclipses Needs Of Cannabis Patients: SB1182 Passes Senate

Last week the Pennsylvania Senate passed a heavily amended version of SB1182, a bill intended to allow for the compassionate use of medical cannabis. Since 2009, surveys of registered voters have consistently resulted in over 80% in favor of legalizing cannabis for medical use. However, the bill that sailed though the Senate in a 43-7 vote would not provide what most residents would recognize as “medical marijuana.”

The scope of compassion has been narrowed significantly with the recent amendments to SB1182. The Senate Appropriations Committee modified the bill to define a very limited set of qualifying conditions. This list excludes many conditions which cannabis is well documented in treating such as HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, and glaucoma. The committee also removed the most effective and well-researched delivery methods: smoking and vaporization.

Only processed forms of cannabis products would be legal for patients to posses under the latest version of SB1182. These include cannabis-infused edibles, oil-based extracts, tinctures, and salves. Whole plant cannabis (the dried, cured raw flowers) would remain illegal and available only underground. Patients who use raw cannabis would still be at risk of arrest and prosecution.

Derek Rosenzweig, a member of the PhillyNORML Board of Directors, has been working on the issue for last six years.

“I’m very happy that the Senate voted in favor of a medical marijuana bill. It shows that Pennsylvania legislators have evolved past their outright opposition to this issue, and that the Commonwealth is ready for medical marijuana,” said Rosenzweig, “Unfortunately, the version of the bill which passed is impractical.”

“This approach leaves too many patients out in the cold from the outset. It certainly is not the final product I wanted to see made into law. It will not allow it for chronic pain. Nor for glaucoma. My father, who suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, will not benefit from this bill. RSD is a severe neuropathic pain condition that causes extreme pain and sensitivity. It is very hard to control, especially with pharmaceuticals,” explained Rosenzweig, “He lives in constant pain every day.”

Other problems with the new SB1182 include: Extremely high licensing fees and overly excessive background check requirements for providers; limiting patients to a 30-day supply of cannabis products but not defining what amounts constitute that supply; and forbidding patients from altering their medicine. This means patients cannot utilize any whole plant material to make their own oil extracts, concentrates, or edibles – all of which are perfectly safe to do.

Patients are also barred from growing their own medicine.

SB1182 does exempt the limited medical cannabis products from the Pennsylvania Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act. However, new criminal prohibitions and penalties were added for non-authorized medical use of cannabis oils and edibles. That means that patients who do not qualify for the program could face even stiffer penalties attempting to gain health by using underground cannabis products. This will in effect raise penalties on any type of unauthorized cannabis use, an action that PhillyNORML opposes on principle.

Some positive points of the legislation remained intact: Protection for registered patients from issues involving child custody; workplace protection for registered patients; no restrictions on the amount of cannabis strains or cannabinoid levels. SB1182 still allows for researching medical cannabis and it provides a testing framework to ensure medicine is of high quality.

Perhaps most stunning alteration was the removal of HIV/AIDS from the extremely limited list of qualifying conditions. Jay Lassiter has lived with HIV for 22 years and sits on the Board at PhillyNORML. Lassiter is a respected political consultant in New Jersey and a registered medical marijuana patient in that state. He helped Pennsylvania families craft videos appealing to legislators and attending rally events in Harrisburg advocating for the original version of SB1182.

“Legalizing medical cannabis therapy but not for HIV/AIDS is like legalizing gay marriage but not for lesbians” said Lassiter.

“I’m glad ailments like PTSD made the cut,” Lassiter added, “But eliminating smoking and vaporization is a cynical maneuver against so many military veterans who already find much needed relief from over-prescribed narcotics with a simple, underground joint.”

Although the Senate approved the measure, it still awaits action in the House. Derek Rosenzweig started an online petition to urge House Majority Leader Rep. Mike Turzai to take action on the bill. It has garnered over 2,300 signatures. Activists plan to deliver the petition, in person, on October 6th.

LINK – http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/rep-turzai-please-put

“We will be pushing for immediate fixes and changes if this version of the bill is passed into law,” said Rosenzweig.”If the bill is not passed this year, we will be back in 2015 seeking legislation to protect a bigger group of patients with far fewer restrictions.”

Follow up :

“We would like to acknowledge that the bill’s sponsors, Senator Leach and Senator Folmer, did as much as possible to keep the bill strong and for as many patients as possible,” said Rosenzweig, “and they deserve credit for working as hard as possible to make even this bittersweet victory possible. ”

“Political maneuvers from a small group of Republican members of the Appropriations committee were the true problem here. If it were not for their interference and unfounded fear of cannabis, we would have passed the carefully constructed bill that made it through Law and Justice back in June.”

Follow us on Twitter: @PhillyNORML

Contact: Contact: Derek Rosenzweig derek@phillynormal.org

Added on October 1, 2014cannabis, marijuana, medical, Pennsylvania, philadlephia, SB1182In The News