State Rep. Mark Cohen of Philadelphia said yesterday he hoped to introduce a bill next month to legalize the medical use of marijuana in Pennsylvania.
“There is obviously no consensus on legalizing marijuana, but there is a widespread consensus on legalizing medical marijuana,” the Democrat said. “I think there is a solid scientific case and there is overwhelming popular support.”
Cohen expects his bill to “emulate” legislation being considered by New Jersey’s Assembly after passage by the state Senate.
The New Jersey measure would let registered patients suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and other illnesses grow marijuana plants for medical use or buy the drug at a licensed center. Gov. Corzine said he’d sign the bill.
Cohen, whose district is mostly in Northeast Philadelphia, expects his bill not only to require prescriptions, but to set forth a plan for regulating distribution and sales.
More study, including input from state officials, would be needed to determine the best setup, whether that involves using existing state stores and pharmacies or new providers.
“I think it can easily raise $25 million a year in taxes,” said Cohen.
via NORML.ORG US PA: State Rep. Cohen Will Push PA. Medical Marijuana Bill.
You guys… April Fools’ Day is still nine days off. C’mon! I get up early in the misty Pacific Northwest AM and I begin the week with a state representative in Pennsylvania speaking common sense about medical marijuana? In Pennsylvania? Home of Mary Beth Buchanan?
Kudos to Rep. Cohen, he’s said it before, but I’d like a bit more information about what he means by …hey! This is America! I’ll just call and ask him!
OK, I just spoke with Leon Czikowsky, a representative for the representative. (I should have gotten some sort of official title, but I was too pre-occupied with making sure I got Czikowsky spelled correctly. We rare three-elled Belville’s are picky that way.) You’ll get to hear our exchange on today’s Stash, but here are the particulars I was concerned with:
- You didn’t really mean “prescriptions”, did you? (No. They mean “recommendations”, they just didn’t know the specific word made a difference.)
- Have you thought about specific language to protect worker’s rights? (We specifically protected state licensing, but, no, and we should, because we’re very “pro-labor”.)
- Are you looking at state dispensaries or state-licensed dispensaries? (Not sure, but we’ll look at what other states are doing; we’re modeling what’s happening in New Jersey.)
My apologies to Leon as well, for I didn’t mention I was recording at the beginning of our conversation, but he did agree afterwards to be on the air. I was recording because I like to get the quotes transcribed correctly, but I didn’t expect to be conducting an interview, only setting a time to conduct one. I hope to catch Rep. Cohen himself later this afternoon.
Loading ...
“but I’d like a bit more information about what he means by …hey! This is America! I’ll just call and ask him!”
lol