PA State Representative Mark Cohen

[FarmN420]

C&P from hxxp://www.pa4mmj.org/

Posted March 19, 2009 by Derek Rosenzweig

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."

Cohen said the bill will be modeled after the New Jersey Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act, which was passed by the New Jersey Senate last month. The state Assembly has yet to begin debating the measure, which Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign.

Thirteen states already allow medical marijuana, as opposition to the drug for medical reasons seems to be waning and many medical professionals support these measures. The New Jersey Nurses Association and the Academy of Family Physicians are among the groups who support the bill.

"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."

Sorry, only the medical stuff

Cohen said that he isn't considering legalizing all marijuana. "This is not the kind of issue where Pennsylvania is a cutting-edge state," he said. "If it hasn't passed anywhere, it's unlikely to pass first in Pennsylvania.