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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 21, 2023 02:40 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Sharif Street and Sen. Daniel Laughlin |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Home Grow for Medical Marijuana Patients |
| In the near future, we will reintroduce legislation to allow Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of cannabis plants from their home for personal use. Since the passage of Act 16 in 2016, Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana (MMJ) program has offered lifesaving medicine to communities across the Commonwealth. However, there are still inefficiencies around MMJ that are well known, especially as it relates to cost and access. Pennsylvania's MMJ Advisory board meetings have revealed significant disparities in accessibility. The PA Department of Health indicated that patients in some counties must travel more than two hours in order to reach a dispensary. This is simply not feasible for many Pennsylvanians. In addition, patients have also been vocal on the fiscal challenges around the rising costs of medicine and affordability. It is critical that policy meet people where they are. By allowing medical marijuana patients to grow cannabis plants at home, we can help ease the cost and accessibility burdens for this important medicine. This legislation would go a long way towards helping everyday Pennsylvanians meet their health needs and ensuring everyone is treated equitably and fairly under Act 16. We invite you to join us in co-sponsoring this critical legislation |
Introduced as SB869