Pennsylvania lawmakers approve changes to medical marijuana regulations

Pennsylvania lawmakers passed law last week making temporary changes to the state’s medical marijuana program that has been permanently enacted under state law in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure, House Bill 1024, also adopts recommendations from the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board for new regulations governing the program. However, a proposed amendment that would allow patients and caregivers to grow medicinal cannabis at home was not incorporated into the final version of the law.

Under House Bill 1024, medical marijuana dispensaries can continue to offer roadside patient order collection, a practice established in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Other temporary measures, including increasing daily shopping and personal ownership limits from a 30-day supply to sufficient medication for 90 days, and the power to certify medical marijuana patients via telemedicine appointments, are also made permanent by the legislation.

Legislative sponsor Paul Schemel, Republican State Representative, told local media that his law made medical marijuana “more in line with pharmacy drugs. I support that. “

The bill also gives those with criminal records eligibility for employment in the Pennsylvania medical marijuana industry. Restrictions on those in the industry for offenses will be removed, and those with criminal convictions could be able to work for 10 years after the offense was committed.

Another provision of House Bill 1024 allows medical marijuana manufacturers to pass cannabis products that fail safety tests through remediation processes that make them safe for consumption.

Home Growing Proposal Discarded by Pennsylvania Senate

When the Pennsylvania Senate legislation was under scrutiny, Democratic state Senator Sharif Street offered an amendment that would have allowed medical marijuana patients or their caregivers to grow cannabis plants at home. The proposal was supported by medical cannabis advocates who cited the high cost of regulated products and the lack of access for patients living in rural areas.

“That would add additional affordability for so many Pennsylvanians,” said Street.

The change included several restrictions on home-growing, including a five-plant limit and requirements that growing in a locked room be protected from unauthorized access. Those who break the rules for making cannabis available to unauthorized persons or cross the plant line would lose the right to grow them at home.

Approving home-grown medical marijuana would have given medical marijuana patients more options to secure the drug of their choice. The supply of cannabis products in Pennsylvania has been scarce since pharmacies opened in February 2018. Jon Cohn, the CEO of cannabis breeder and processor Agri-Kind Inc. said supply is only now beginning to keep pace with demand, which has increased during the pandemic.

“For the first time in a long time – it could be in the PA cannabis market forever – supply could finally catch up with demand,” said Cohn. “How long the product is actually on the shelf, you definitely stay longer, and you see a little less product with each order and there is definitely more choice in the pharmacies now, so it is definitely beneficial for the patients.”

Unfortunately, the change in home cultivation did not meet with the approval of the Republican majority in the Senate, which submitted the proposal. This was a huge disappointment for patients in the state. House Bill 1024 was then passed by the Senate on Friday evening with 47 votes to 3. Less than an hour later, the measure was passed 165-36 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Office of Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, who is expected to put the law into effect.