Pennsylvania
This state has legalized marijuana for medical use.
SB 3 – Medical Marijuana Act – Effective May 17, 2016
Can you use other Legal State Cards: No
Possession: TBD
How The Law Reads:
On April 17, 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law SB 3, Pennsylvania’s compassionate medical cannabis legislation. The Senate had first approved the bill on May 12, 2015, and it was subsequently revised and approved by the House on March 14-16, 2016. The Senate made technical changes to the bill and sent it back to the House on April 12, and it received final approval in the House on April 13, 2016.
The law goes into effect on May 17, 2016, and the Department of Health will then have six months to issue temporary regulations.
Approved Conditions: Patients can qualify for medical cannabis if they have a terminal illness or if they suffer from cancer, HIV/AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntington’s disease, Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable seizures, glaucoma, autism, sickle cell anemia, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin, or if conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective.
Certifying Physicians: To qualify for the program, a patient must be under the ongoing care of a physician who issues a certification during an in-person visit. The certification must state that the patient has a qualifying medical condition and that the physician believes he or she could benefit from medical cannabis. Physicians must register, complete a four-hour course, and report to the department if a patient no longer needs access to medical cannabis as a result of improved health or death.
Regulatory Authority: The Department of Health is responsible for implementing the program, including developing rules, processing applications, and issuing patient ID cards and licenses. The law creates an advisory board established to make recommendations to the department. The board will be comprised of 15 members, including three law enforcement members, several health or medical experts, and at least one patient advocate. Two years after the law takes effect (May 2018), the board will issue a report including recommendations regarding access to dry leaf or plant cannabis. The health department will then accept or reject its recommendations and will have 18 months to promulgate rules based on the board’s report.
Mailing Address:
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Health and Welfare Building
8th Floor West
625 Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
1-877-724-3258
Website:
Pennsylvania Department of Health