# Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253 "2014-02-13T15:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/1 "2014-02-13T15:58:16Z")
I visited a gardener last weekend. He now packages his produce in heat-sealed bags, with nice labels. I asked about this and he told me he was preparing for our state’s medical cannabis law. I pointed out that bills have been introduced before but never passed. He implied that he has inside information and the bill will pass soon. So . . . anyone privy to any “inside info” on this topic? ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/2 "2014-02-13T16:16:05Z")
I haven’t been paying too much attention but I thought the current attempt only involved the use of an oil extracted from the plant and not the plant itself. Also, Corbett’s been pretty adamant that he’d veto the bill anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/3 "2014-02-13T16:21:16Z")
> [@Mithras](#): > > I haven’t been paying too much attention but I thought the current attempt only involved the use of an oil extracted from the plant and not the plant itself. Also, Corbett’s been pretty adamant that he’d veto the bill anyway. Hmm. This guy sure seemed confident. He is investing some bucks in his setup, I thought maybe I missed something.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/4 "2014-02-13T16:24:54Z")
From what I’ve heard from talk radio and whatnot, it seems like the legislature might be ready to pass it but that the governor will never sign it. But given that he’s just one man, maybe he is persuadable. [Glancing through the bill](http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/pennsylvania-SB1182.pdf), I was wrong about it being extract only. It appears to be pretty far-reaching, including licensing farms to grow it. So if it weren’t for Corbett, I’d think the gardener wasn’t out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/5 "2014-02-13T16:49:07Z")
Dunno about PA government, but wouldn’t the state congress be able to overrule a veto with something like a 2/3 vote? My take on pot is that a huge portion of the population wants it legalized for a variety of reasons, but it’s a controversial and potentially tricky undertaking. Washington and Colorado have not descended into anarchy since officially not giving a damn about it over a year ago, and actually selling the stuff in stores for a couple months. Now that the bandwagon is moving, it will take increasingly less courage to jump on it. In fact, those who wait longest will reap the least profit–economic as well as political. If my first assumption is true, maybe all your friend needs to know is that 70% of the state’s congress is leaning toward legalization, governor be damned. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/6 "2014-02-13T16:55:45Z")
Well, maybe it would be prudent to send NORML a check. Again. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/7 "2014-02-13T17:13:36Z")
Eh, heat sealing and labeling is cheap - you can get heat seal units as low tech as a daisy seal a meal, and print labels on any printer - Avery makes all sizes and shapes of labels cheaply. I know of sourcing for medical bottles ranging from cheap plastic through rather nice glass in a range of sizes and colors. [My friend Auntie Arwen sells culinary herbs and herbal blends and has done a fair amount of research into what is available.] You can get heat seal bottle neck shrinkwraps in all sorts of colors as well. Presenting a professional appearance productwise is actually fairly easy. back in the early 80s a friend of mine sealed his bags with a little owl ‘wax’ seal stamp and offered a small discount if you handed it back as sort of a frequent flier discount. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/8 "2014-02-13T17:18:45Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Eh, heat sealing and labeling is cheap The sealed, labeled packaging was what initially caught my eye. He also upgraded his lighting from 600 Watt fixtures to 1,000 Watts, and he put in new flooring. Man, I hope he is right. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/9 "2014-02-13T17:32:57Z")
Are you serious? They pass this right after they sell off the state stores. :rolleyes: For those lucky enough to NOT live in PA, we haven’t fully ended Prohibition yet. Wine & hard liquor can only be purchased from a state-owned monopoly store. If they don’t sell the specific bottle that you want, you can’t legally drink it in PA. In fact they just brought charges against a lawyer who was bootlegging wine bottles that the state didn’t even offer. Beer purchasing is even crazier! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/10 "2014-02-13T17:39:42Z")
> [@Mithras](#): > > Also, Corbett’s been pretty adamant that he’d veto the bill anyway. Well, there is an election this year… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/11 "2014-02-13T17:40:25Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Are you serious? They pass this right after they sell off the state stores. :rolleyes: > > For those lucky enough to NOT live in PA, we haven’t fully ended Prohibition yet. Wine & hard liquor can only be purchased from a state-owned monopoly store. If they don’t sell the specific bottle that you want, you can’t legally drink it in PA. In fact they just brought charges against a lawyer who was bootlegging wine bottles that the state didn’t even offer. > Beer purchasing is even crazier! As bad as PA is, there have been improvements. You can legally buy a corkscrew in a state liquor store, for instance. A few years ago that wasn’t the case. You can buy growlers of draft beer today, not so 5 years ago. But yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/12 "2014-02-13T18:21:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Hmm. This guy sure seemed confident. He is investing some bucks in his setup, I thought maybe I missed something.☹ As a general rule, you should never put too much stock in one person’s zeal for making money quickly. I’m sure if he’s investing money he believes in his prediction, but there’s no reason to think his source is any better than yours. Maybe some other random person told him and he saw dollar signs, wasn’t skeptical enough to check it out, and started investing in equipment. Individually, people make horrible financial decisions. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/13 "2014-02-13T18:31:33Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > As a general rule, you should never put too much stock in one person’s zeal for making money quickly. Wishful thinking on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/14 "2014-02-13T18:51:45Z")
This reminds me of something I realized the other day. There was a new Sheetz built in Cranberry last year. It has a ridiculous amount of cooler space along the walls. There’s a door I hadn’t noticed before that’s between a couple of the coolers and takes you into a “soda cave.” I thought that was ridiculous because what do you need a soda cave for when you have 50 feet of coolers that are mostly full of soda, anyway? But of course the store was built assuming that the liquor and beer laws would be relaxed. I feel bad for any business that’s relying on the PA government to pass a bill. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/15 "2014-02-13T19:09:21Z")
I’ve signed the Sheetz petition. Maybe one day. I can buy beer at my local grocery store (Giant Eagle), something that I never though I’d live to see. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/16 "2014-02-25T17:41:57Z")
I contacted PA Senator Jim Ferlo about Marijuana. I’ve also twisted the arms of many of my friends to do the same. I assume this is a canned reply, but hey. > [@](#): > > Dear constituent, > > Thank you for taking the time to contact my office and express your views regarding the prospect of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. The involvement of concerned citizens like you provides me with important insight into complicated issues and allows our democracy to work effectively. > > Along with you, I share the belief that it is time to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Pennsylvania. Further, the so-called “War on Drugs” is a failure. Decades have gone by with overcrowded prisons for individuals being punished for using marijuana but not harming others. The United States has spent billions investigating, prosecuting, and imprisoning citizens who have hurt no one. > > Prohibition of marijuana has created the same taboo, black market sales that were seen during the ban on alcohol in America. This black market has given way to drug and gang wars in our own neighborhoods. > > I believe it is time to amend this outdated policy, and legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania. Legalization will bring revenue into our Commonwealth because marijuana will be regulated for safer use, and taxed in order to provide government programs. Driving under the influence, selling to minors, or public intoxication will remain illegal. > > Not only will legalizing marijuana establish revenue for the Commonwealth, it will reduce the prison population and burden on taxpayers. Previous arguments for prohibiting marijuana use have mostly been disproven by scientific evidence. While it is not the healthiest choice, marijuana use is not addictive and harms public health exponentially less than cigarettes and alcohol. > > Senator Daylin Leach is the prime sponsor of legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate to legalize marijuana, and I am a co-sponsor of this bill. Senator Leach cites studies which show that the Commonwealth will save more than $235 million per year by legalizing marijuana, and taxing sales of marijuana would amount to at least $25 million per year for the General Fund. Legalizing and taxing marijuana could establish steady state funding which could eradicate some of the serious budget shortfalls we have seen in recent years: school funding, public employee pensions, and transportation infrastructure investments. > > Again, I believe that legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana is a step in the right direction for Pennsylvania. > > Please continue to make your voice heard and rest assured that the decisions I make as your State Senator are with all of my constituents in mind. > > I have two district offices to serve you and your needs: > > Pittsburgh (Lawrenceville) > 3519 Butler Street > Pittsburgh, PA 15201 > 412-621-3006 > > Natrona Heights > 1633 Pacific Avenue > Natrona Heights, PA 15065 > 724-230-2000 > > Please feel free to contact my offices with any questions you may have, utilize the resources on my website [www.senatorferlo.com](http://www.senatorferlo.com), and follow me on Twitter @SenatorJimFerlo. > > I look forward to continuing my public service to the residents of the 38th Senate District. > > Sincerely, > Senator Jim Ferlo ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/17 "2014-02-25T17:58:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Well, maybe it would be prudent to send NORML a check. Again. And don’t forget to write your congresspersons. ---
**Author:** ![OldnCrinkly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OldnCrinkly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldnCrinkly)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana/681253/18 "2014-02-25T18:06:00Z")
Actually it seems that Pennsylvania is in a good position to legalize herb. I don’t get all the hate for the State Stores, at all. It seems it would be fairly easy to carry marijuana there and the system is already in place. Pennsylvania ranks seventh for underage drinking, that is to say, they have the seventh lowest rate. So something must be going right with the alcohol here. State stores are not terribly inconvenient and I don’t know about it being illegal to drink something they don’t carry. I have, personally, gone to my local Wine and Spirits Shoppe and had them special order something for me. Sell it at the State Stores and lets not bother with all this “medical” malarkey. /Not that some people don’t use it for medical reasons, I’m sure some do. However, I have a number of friends who have gotten California cards for the most dubious of reasons. I find it insulting when they tell me they really need it for their 'affliction". If I’ve known you twenty years and you’ve been smoking all along, please don’t bs me/rant