Corbett remains opposed to legalizing medical marijuana in Pa.

Despite published reports that he may be softening his opposition to medical marijuana, Gov. Tom Corbett is not changing his position on legalization.

 

A recent report in the Harrisburg Patriot-News quoted the governor’s spokesman saying Corbett might consider supporting medical marijuana if the federal Food and Drug Administration deemed it a legitimate medicine.

It suggested the administration was backpedaling. Corbett’s spokesman later said the governor’s stance is unchanged.

State Sen. Daylin Leach, who has sponsored a bill to legalize medical marijuana and is also running for Congress, criticized the governor for waiting on the federal government to change drug policy.

It shows circular logic to say there’s little research on marijuana as medicine, said Leach, D-Montgomery.

“What we have now is a ‘Catch-22.’ There’s no evidence because there’s no clinical trials and there’s no clinical trials because it’s a Schedule 1 drug,” he said. “And it’s a Schedule I drug because there’s no clinical trials showing that it has medical value.”

Research is difficult to come by because marijuana is legally classified as among the most abuse-prone drugs.

Last year, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced he won’t challenge states’ legalization of marijuana so long as they set up strict regulations for the drug.