Pennsylvania lawmakers will introduce legislation allowing farmers to grow medical marijuana

Two Pennsylvania lawmakers want to create new ways for farmers in the state to grow medical marijuana.

House Representatives Melissa L. Shusterman and Ismail Smith-Wade-El, both Democrats, on Monday filed a memo to colleagues detailing their plans to pass legislation that “would allow Pennsylvania farmers to use medical Growing cannabis,” local news station WHTM reported.

“It is critical that Pennsylvanians have accessible and equitable access to the burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry. Currently, however, bans on the acquisition of new permits are damaging to both business and consumers. Farmers and small businesses are being denied the freedom to participate in the nearly $2 billion the industry has generated to date. The resulting unfair market conditions deny consumers more affordable options for a tried and trusted drug,” Shusterman and Smith-Wade-El said in the memo, released Monday.

Their bill “would allow for a new permit that farmers and other small agricultural businesses could apply for on a limited basis to grow and sell medicinal cannabis to existing growers/processors,” according to WHTM, with both Shusterman and Smith-Wade-El saying that “passing this legislation would open the door for new producers, including those in marginalized communities.”

“There is a palpable need to change this prevailing imbalance. My legislation will create a new permit for farmers and other small agricultural businesses to grow and sell medical cannabis on a limited basis to existing growers/processors,” lawmakers said in the memo. “By enabling small-scale cultivation, our smallholders can pull their crops together to participate in a new license so they can be part of this big economic win for Pennsylvania. Additionally, this legislation opens the door for growers new to the industry, growers from marginalized communities, to get involved in this thriving enterprise.”

“Please join me in promoting the economic well-being of small farmers and the health of patients throughout Pennsylvania,” they concluded.

Pennsylvania legalized medical cannabis treatment in 2016 when the state legislature passed legislation opening up the treatment to qualified patients in the state.

Last year, two Pennsylvania state senators introduced a bill that would have allowed medicinal cannabis patients to grow their own cannabis plants at home.

The two lawmakers, Senator Sharif Street, a Democrat, and Dan Laughlin, a Republican, told colleagues in a 2021 memo that their legislation would address “inefficiencies” in the state’s medicinal cannabis program.

“Since the passage of Law 16 in 2016, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program (MMJ) has been providing life-saving drugs to communities across the Commonwealth. However, there are still known inefficiencies surrounding MMJ, particularly around cost and access,” lawmakers said in the memo. “This year’s quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania MMJ Advisory Board uncovered significant disparities in accessibility. The PA Department of Health said patients in some counties have to travel more than two hours to reach a pharmacy. That’s just not feasible for many Pennsylvanians. In addition, patients also commented on the tax challenges related to the rising cost of medicines and their affordability.”

“It is crucial that politicians pick people up where they are. By allowing medical marijuana patients to grow cannabis plants at home, we can help reduce the cost and accessibility of this important medicine. This legislation would go a long way in helping everyday Pennsylvanians meet their healthcare needs and ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly under Law 16,” they added.

The bill fizzled out in last year’s legislative period.