Home Political News Pennsylvania Governor Signs Medical Cannabis Expansion Bill

Pennsylvania Governor Signs Medical Cannabis Expansion Bill

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Pennsylvania Governor Signs Medical Cannabis Expansion Bill

On Wednesday, June 30, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed HB 1024 into law. As a result, this bill creates an expansion to the state’s medical cannabis program established in 2016. Many of the provisions in the bill first happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic, these provisions have become permanent. 

HB 1024

Consequently, some of the biggest changes under this medical cannabis expansion bill include:

  • Continuing curbside deliveries
  • Allowing patients to obtain a 90 day supply of medication over the previous 30 day supply
  • Removing indefinitely the  caps on the number of patients a caregiver can have
  • Loosening restrictions on criminal background checks for medical cannabis workers
  • Allowing patient certification by physicians via telehealth
  • Letting businesses remediate contaminated products to sell after an independent lab confirms they are restored
  • Providing financial aid to low-income patients for approved prescriptions

Supporters of medical cannabis cheer for these expansions and changes for legitimizing cannabis as medicine.

“It’s been five years since Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana, and in that time the Department of Health has examined the program’s successes and challenges and made important recommendations on improving the law,” Gov. Wolf said in a recent press release. “This legislation provides important updates to our state’s medical marijuana program to ensure that patients have improved access to medication.”

Changes

Unfortunately for activists, an amendment saw removal from the bill. For this reason, home cultivation for medical cannabis patients became removed by the Republican-controlled legislature. Under that amendment, patients could have grown up to five plants for personal use, provided the patients and any necessary caretakers could take care of the plants and keep them in an “enclosed and locked space.”

Future

This medical cannabis expansion isn’t the only change hopefully coming to Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf has been advocating for recreational cannabis legalization this year, and has been pushing harder for it after Connecticut became the 19th state to legalize recreational cannabis. 

Additionally, Governor Wolf issued his 96th pardon for people with cannabis convictions, Dr. Ezell. This doctor grew medical cannabis plants in his basement for his opioid-addicted wife to help her ease her chronic pain. She, unfortunately, passed away. The doctor, along with his daughter, were arrested and convicted of marijuana possession. But Governor Wolf pardoned the doctor through the Expedited Review Program for Non-Violent Marijuana-Related offenses, run by the Board of Pardons. Dr. Ezell’s daughter will be up for pardon soon. 

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