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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 3, 2023 12:44 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Christopher M. Rabb and Rep. Aaron D. Kaufer |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Removing DUI penalties for legal medical cannabis use |
| In 2016, the PA General Assembly voted to legalize medicinal use of cannabis. Sadly, the legislature failed to provide these patients the same privileges afforded to others who have legal prescriptions for a scheduled medication. Medicinal cannabis patients regularly contact our offices concerned that state law makes it illegal for them to drive. That is why we are reintroducing bipartisan legislation (formerly HB 900) to revise our outdated law and allow individuals who legally use medicinal cannabis to operate a motor vehicle. While this legislation protects medicinal cannabis patients, it does not extend to any illegal cannabis use – nor does it protect impaired drivers. It applies to approved patients with a non-commercial driver’s license who use medical cannabis legally -- and are not impaired – the same as with any other prescription medication. Presently, over 30 states allow for some form of cannabis use, and many have updated their driving under the influence (DUI) laws to correspond with this. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania remains a state with a zero-tolerance policy on this matter, needlessly imperiling hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania drivers who are also medical cannabis patients. Please join us in supporting this necessary legislation toward fixing this antiquated law. |
Introduced as HB983