Source: standardspeaker.com
HARRISBURG — State lawmakers are moving on separate fronts to allow greater public use of marijuana and hemp, two cannabis plants that have been tightly controlled for decades despite having a very different genetic makeup.
The Senate approved legislation last week for a second time to legalize marijuana for treatment of specific illnesses when prescribed by a doctor. A patient could ingest but not smoke marijuana and would have to obtain supplies from a licensed dispensary under the bill that was sent to the House.
The list of medical conditions that could be treated with marijuana include cancer, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and chronic pain.
The bill would allow thousands of ill and suffering Pennsylvanians to use medical cannabis to treat their ailments, said Sen. Mike Folmer, R-48, Lebanon, the sponsor.
Senators representing Northeastern Pennsylvania voted in favor of the bill except for Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Township, who voted against it.
Baker said she supports increased scientific study on the medical benefits of marijuana.
“I felt it was premature to advance the bill until more in-depth research has been conducted and questions raised by the medical community have been answered,” she said. “I also have serious concerns about the long-term negative repercussions on health care and community safety, especially as Pennsylvania is grappling with serious surges in heroin and prescription drug abuse.”
Gov. Tom Wolf is hosting a roundtable discussion about medical marijuana with top aides, lawmakers and doctors today at the governor’s residence. Meanwhile, the House and Senate Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committees held a joint hearing last week on allowing limited research-based production of hemp for industrial use in Pennsylvania.
Rep. Marty Flynn, D-113, Scranton, is a co-sponsor of a bill to allow farmers to cultivate hemp in connection with academic research programs. The measure would bring Pennsylvania in line with a new federal law that allows hemp pilot programs at universities and agricultural research facilities.
The debate about easing restrictions on hemp starts with a discussion about how it differs from marijuana.
“Hemp is from the same species as marijuana,” said Fred Strathmeyer, a deputy state Agriculture Department secretary. “However, by definition, industrial hemp is high in fiber and low in active (THC), the substance that leads to the high smokers feel from marijuana.”
Hemp has less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive THC, compared with the 5 to 20 percent THC content of recreational marijuana, he said.
Hemp was a primary crop in Pennsylvania during the 18th and 19th centuries. Mills in Lancaster and York counties processed hemp fiber. Hemp production declined as a result of a federal tax policy and laws enacted in the 1950s making it illegal to grow any cannabis plant varieties. This was done to aid drug enforcement efforts against illegal cultivation of marijuana plants, Strathmeyer said.
The agriculture department supports research-based hemp cultivation because it’s a potential cash crop, has many industrial uses and is one of the most viable plants for biodiesel uses, Strathmeyer said.
He said the department is drafting a bill to remove hemp from the state list of controlled plants and noxious weeds, and provide for a state permit to allow individual growers to cultivate hemp for institutional research purposes.
Flynn touts the economic value of hemp.
“Over 25,000 different products can be made from hemp, from cloth to rope and brake pads,” he said. “It’s environmentally friendly. It doesn’t deplete the soil of nutrients.”
Hemp is not marijuana, said Flynn, adding he has long wondered why hemp has been restricted.
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau testified in favor of the legislation, but expressed concerns that farmers involved in research-based hemp production may not be fully protected from extreme federal drug enforcement action.
“The production of hemp shows promise as a viable commodity for Pennsylvania farms, but we don’t see the growth and sales of hemp as a cure-all to the economic challenges faced by farm families in the future,” said Bureau Counsel John Bell.
rswift@timesshamrock.com
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