Pennsylvanians may use marijuana for anxiety or epilepsy. It can be used to relieve the side effects of chemotherapy or the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
There are 23 different medical conditions that qualify a person for a medical marijuana card.
There is one factor that is off the table: happiness. You can use weed because you want to, but not because you want to.
Marijuana’s legal history is comparable in Pennsylvania and neighboring Ohio. Medical cannabis was signed into law in Pennsylvania in April 2016. Ohio did in June 2016. Ohio also suspended driver’s license bans for marijuana use at the same time. Pennsylvania took until 2018.
And both had a push and pull on recreational use. Pennsylvania scoffed. U.S. Senator John Fetterman strongly endorsed him as lieutenant governor. He and then-Gov. Tom Wolf conducted a listening tour to get feedback from across the state. Wolf asked the Legislature to legalize it by 2020.
In Ohio, the first attempts at legalization took place in It failed – and not in the least. 65 percent of voters rejected the proposal. That changed this month when 57% of Ohio voters said yes, making the Buckeye State the 24th state to allow recreational use.
will do “When will Pennsylvania follow?” Natural question. But should it be? It’s hard to say exactly.
The Keystone State is now surrounded by places where edible gums or joints are perfectly fine without having to prove you have glaucoma or multiple sclerosis. The only exception is West Virginia, which only allows medical services.
This does not mean that Pennsylvania should jump off the bridge because all the other kids are doing it. Peer pressure is no reason to write a law.
But there are other factors to consider. Loss of tax revenue is one. That money could go to support drug and addiction programs. If the residents go to Ohio, Maryland, New York or New Jersey to get the produce they want and give the money to those treasuries, is that better for Pennsylvania? After all, could it be a negative for residents who go to Steubenville to buy marijuana and cross the border back into illegal territory?
Ohio’s vote creates more than one reason for Pennsylvania lawmakers to actively consider all the moving parts of marijuana and the law and figure out where to go from here.
Although the State Council is interested in moving forward, the Senate is more reluctant. It’s good. Maybe legalization isn’t the right path for Pennsylvania, but open discussion by lawmakers is a different story.
Perhaps the middle ground would be to decriminalize possession, which would help residents of states that consume produce if it were legal. It can also protect medical marijuana companies. Doesn’t solve the tax issue though.
Marijuana is a complicated issue, and Ohio’s legalization is boxing Pennsylvania into a position that will require a decision sooner or later.
