December 10th, 2009

Writes the Times-Tribune in an editorial today:

There probably is little chance that the state Legislature will legalize medicinal marijuana any time soon. A bill to do so, introduced by Rep. Mark Cohen of Philadelphia, has just half a dozen cosponsors and it’s not at the top of the legislative agenda.

Yet a recent Health and Human Services Commitee hearing on the bill was a remarkable event in this conservative state and a step toward a rational policy for medicinal marijuana use. Testimony during the hearing did much to dispel myths about medicinal marijuana and to establish a framework for legalization.

Mr. Cohen’s bill would preclude the arrest of patients who use medicinal marijuana. Those people would have to have a written doctor’s recommendation to use the drug and would have to obtain an ID card to obtain it from state-licensed centers. Patients would be allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana at any time.

Marijuana has been used to help cancer patients deal with pain and to stimulate their appetite. It also has been used to treat glaucoma. It is far less expensive than many of the federally approved pharmaceuticals that are marketed for the same purposes.

Read the rest of the editorial.