Pennsylvania will soon become the first state to legalize medical marijuana through the legislature.
The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday made a final vote in favor of a medical marijuana bill introduced in 2014. Gov. Tom Wolf said he will sign the bill on Sunday, the AP reports.
The overwhelming support of a 149-46 vote capped an intense legislative process for the bill that was initially approved by the Senate last year. The bill has bounced back and forth between Senate and House, each time with added small changes, over the extended period of time.
"At one time, I was opposed to the idea of allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana," said Republican House Majority Leader Dave Reed to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "But after researching the issue, reviewing the laws in other states, and reading about the struggles of families the drug would help, I came to realize that it is wrong to withhold something that could benefit so many."
The state will have the distinction of being among those that legalize medical marijuana through precise legislation rather than a blunt, voter-approved ballot initiative. Ohio lawmakers hope to quickly follow suit and legalize medical marijuana before voters can decide on an initiative slated for the November election, according to the AP report.
Pennsylvania would become the 24th state with a comprehensive medical marijuana program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The newly approved legislation lists 17 qualifying diagnosed conditions that includes cancer, epilepsy, autism, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and glaucoma.
Lawmakers expect that it will take about two years before the medical marijuana program is fully regulated and ready to sell to the public, although the bill also provides a safe harbor provision that allows parents with children under the age of 18 to purchase medical cannabis in other legal states without fear of criminal punishment.
"Marijuana is medicine and it's coming to Pennsylvania," said Democratic Sen. Daylin Leach at a news conference with Gov. Wolf after the vote. "Everyone can get sick, and in such a circumstance everyone would want medicine that could make them better."
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