Leach offers plan for limited medical marijuana in Pa.
A measure pending in Pennsylvania's Legislature would change possession of a small amount of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a summary offense. Philadelphia already has such an ordinance on its books. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo, file)
Bipartisan legislation in Pennsylvania’s Senate would legalize some medical uses of marijuana.
Sen. Daylin Leach said the measure, which has the backing of one GOP senator, is narrower than medical marijuana bills he’s introduced in the past.
The proposal’s chief intent is to legalize a certain kind of cannabis derivative that would help children with a debilitating kind of epilepsy, said Leach, D-Montgomery.
Christine Brann of Cumberland County says she’s considering moving to Colorado to access the medicine for her 3-year-old son and the frequent seizures that have hindered his development.
“The medicine is an oil. It comes in a dropper and is taken orally. You don’t smoke it and no one gets high off of it, you can’t get high off of it,” Brann said. “And, more importantly, it has worked for the majority of children that have taken it.
Leach said Monday he is still waiting to hear from Gov. Tom Corbett on whether the administration will support the legislation, which would be a major break from Corbett’s past opposition to legalization of marijuana use, medical or recreational.
Sen. Mike Folmer of Lebanon County is the first Republican in the state Senate to support such a measure.Folmer recently received a clean bill of health from his doctors after being treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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