How Close Is Legal Marijuana In PA?

Ron Strider;3398711 said:

The majority of Pennsylvanians polled by Franklin & Marshall College believe all marijuana use should be legalized. The poll, which The Morning Call reported on yesterday, found 56 percent of voters said yes to legalizing cannabis.

Whatever you want to call it, it's all cannabis — and it's high time for it in Pennsylvania, a Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows.

Does the legislature agree?

Well, that depends upon the bill. There are five bills floating around the statehouse that refer to marijuana:

• SB213, introduced by Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, calls for legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania and regulating its dissemination much like the state's current alcohol regulations. Use by drivers and persons under the age of 21 would remain illegal, as would reselling marijuana and using it in public. The bill was referred to the senate's law and justice committee in January.

• Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, has introduced a resolution that would urge the federal government to "renew the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment." The amendment prevents the Department of Justice from using its funding to supercede state laws governing medical marijuana use, distribution, possession or cultivation.

• HB741, written by Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery, addresses mandatory minimum sentences in drug convictions. The bill calls for a reduction in prison time, from five years to three years in a case where the defendant was found guilty of trafficking at least 50 pounds or 51 plants of marijuana. However, if the defendant has been convicted of another drug trafficking offense, the prison sentence remains five years. It was referred to the judiciary committee in April.

• Murt's HB1006, the marijuana grow house disclosure bill, requires home sellers to disclose if a structure has been used to grow marijuana in the past. It was referred to the urban affairs committee in March.

• House Resolution 250, written by Rep. Maria Donatucci, D-Philadelphia, declares next week, May 14 through 20, "National Prevention Week" in Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a period to increase public awareness of substance abuse and mental health issues with a focus on several issues including "prevention of illicit drug use and youth marijuana use."

• HB847, introduced by Rep. Tom Murt, R-Montgomery, was designed to increase the mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking offenses involving "significant amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin." It keeps marijuana's current status as an illegal substance as is. It was referred to the judiciary committee in March.

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