“Its law”, Senator Mike Folmer dubbed as “Marijuana Mike” for his relentless push for the legalization of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.
A rather hard fought and emotional goal, a bill for legalized marijuana for medical use could be the hallmark of Gov. Wolf’s administration.
The Greater Good
Republicans and Democrats coming together for the common good, acknowledging the medicinal value of marijuana and responding to a heartfelt cause of the public feels like what governments are supposed to be: public interest over political correctness and personal ambitions.
None had better to say about this than Sen. Daylin Leach, “We stopped being Liberals and started being problem solvers, and we stopped being Conservatives and started being compromisers, and we stopped being politicians and started being human beings”.
The large crowds of people that gathered for the signing show the wealth of support this law has with the local people with many having lost a person, a friend, a relative or know someone currently in need of the medicinal value of marijuana and yet they were not asking for much but simply a decision over seen by their doctor to make a patient’s life better.
“All we are asking here is to have the ability to have that doctor make a decision in conjunction with his or her patient that will make that patient’s life better,” said Gov. Wolf, adding today was a, “Great Day for Pennsylvanians.”
How soon
It’s expected to take about 18 months for the program to commence in the state however patients in Pennsylvania can cross state lines to access the drug from other states. This is expected to save hundreds of lives given the scope of medical conditions that qualify for its use such as cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, gastrointestinal disorder, autism among others.
The Observers’ Fears
Despite the milestone attained at the signing, some observers have come out to suggest possible challenges in the waiting majorly attributed to the different localities in Pennsylvania, all with different rules. Pennsylvania is home to 67 counties and more than 2,500 municipalities. Justin Moriconi, a regulated-substances attorney in Philadelphia had this to say, “I guarantee: There will be some municipalities in Pennsylvania, somewhere, that try potentially to pass an ordinance saying, “We don’t want any Marijuana organizations”.
State representative Matt Baker said he fears a different set of problems, robberies targeting cash or other Marijuana related products among other hazards and as such is in support for municipalities having freedom to self govern in a way that best protects their citizens from the negative consequences of legalizing pot.
The Undeterred Spirit
However that has not deterred the many that had to wait for two and half years for their dream to turn into reality from celebrating this milestone. It has been a long and tortuous journey and many have been lost in the wait but to have finally achieved this very emotional goal that seemed so near yet so far makes this moment for all Pennsylvanians worthwhile.
Source: Medical Marijuana Blog
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