PHILADELPHIA. State Rep. Mark Cohen said Wednesday that he will introduce a bill as soon as next month to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.
Cohen said he decided to have the measure drafted after he was interviewed for a story in Wednesday’s Metro about legalizing marijuana to help the city and state overcome budget problems and getting almost all positive responses on Facebook, PhillyBlog and elsewhere.
“It’s easier when you have public support to get legislation through,” said Cohen, who gave the bill a 50-50 shot of passing in the next few years. “I think it’s something that has a good chance of being taken seriously in the Legislature.”
“Most of these efforts are the result of grassroots campaigns by locals who have taken it upon themselves [to inform] legislators about medical use and the many questions surrounding it,” says Robert Dougherty, chair of Philadelphia NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.) “And I think that the information society we live in has contributed to this uptick in support and more people are aware of the issues where some time ago the only information provided was through nationally funded anti-drug campaigns.”
I wake up this morning to the news of the Keystone State pushing for medical marijuana and the money quote comes from one of my local NORML Chapters? What is this, my birthday or something? Great job, Robert and all the folks at PhillyNORML!
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i’d appreciate it a little more if they could just sign the bill and just pass it along, because this state would do much better and more people like myself can stop struggling in these tough times
finally something to look forward too in my state.