Pennsylvania Recreational Marijuana: Talk To Me

[PaRecreationalLegalizatio]

Hello everyone,

My name's Dave and I am one of the people selected to testify in the recreational marijuana hearings for Pennsylvania.
I have smoked marijuana before (Who am I kidding, I'm a stoner) but have just begun to grow marijuana partly as a "scientific" testimony.
We would like to bring a mature female plant with us during the hearings as well as samples of marijuana.


I know that sounds funny, but we are growing several strains to take with us to the hearing and to show images of the plants as we grew them.

We are hoping for 100% recreational legalization with proceeds profiting the State (Profits will benefit older Pennsylvanians as well as special needs funding (Schools, Playgrounds, etc.)).

Marijuana would have to be purchased from a State Store, (Here in Pennsylvania we have Liquor stores) and the marijuana would be taxed accordingly. We are also pushing for a set number of mature female plants (12) and seedlings (100) to be legalized as well, though, I have serious doubts as if people are legally allowed to grow, the State would lose the revenue, so that is probably not going to happen.

I'd like to hear serious thoughts about both PROS and CONS of recreational marijuana.

I am open to any and all suggestions that people may think is important to be heard.

 

[Dwight Monk]

I would research some of the problems the trial States have had to either avoid those issues or not have what you propose shot down due to someone against it that has researched it better and makes it look like it wasn't thought out very well. In example Oregon pretty much gave Commercial licenses to any one that met the standards (pretty minimal) as long as they paid the license fee. So they ended up with a major supply and demand issue as in just legal grows alone what was produced last year was 3-5 times what was sold the previous year, so prices have dropped like a rock (B grade buds can be found for under $100 an ounce quite easily) and have to wait until a bunch of folks go belly up to see who will survive (albeit they quite giving out licenses but way too late, so lots of folks will lose their backside before what is left can make a go of it or a chance of making it work). If the Feds change their stance and allowed interstate commerce that wouldn't be an issue, but it doesn't have a shelf life of 4 years (or least not in Flower form) and just promotes black market activity out of State with it which is one of the things that will get the Feds involved in a hurry. I dislike Oregon's 4 plant limit as that includes all plants to be legal for growing your own for Rec, but 12 mature is a lot for "personal use", and 100 seedlings would easily be considered commercial activity. So maybe adjust those numbers a bit so they don't wonder if folks skirting the rules and selling it, as it will affect their tax income like you said and gives you better odds of being able to grow your own as you don't want to be like WA and not be able to grow your own (or last I heard they hadn't changed that rule up north of me).

 

[PaRecreationalLegalizatio]

One of the biggest issues many Pennsylvanians face with medical marijuana is the "California Gold Rush" as it has been known here. Many patients live on SSI and do not have loads of money. The "doctors" that prescribe medical marijuana, some of them, are charging upwards of $400 for one visit to sign a permit for medical marijuana. That leaves many eligible patients out as the doctors are not following the hippocratic oath and are more worried about money, just like in Los Angeles, doctors are fast to prescribe for as low as $50 a patient, sometimes seeing 50 patients a day if not more.

In Pennsylvania we have a set number of Doctors and currently in the state the cheapest we could find wanted $250 for a 15 minute visit to see if you were eligible for medical marijuana.

The issue is pretty plain, citizens with low income that are otherwise eligible for medical marijuana are unable to pay the cost for a doctors prescription.

Also according to federal law, it is illegal to charge for a prescription. They may charge for a doctor visit but not the prescriptions. So what we are seeing is a trend of doctors asking people what they are visiting for.

Example 1: Mary is 70, she has a headache. Doctor charges her $50 and prescribes aspirin.

Example 2. Bill is 40 and has esophageal cancer. Doctor charges him $300 and prescribes medical marijuana.


The other issue we have seen is the "dispensaries" that sell medical marijuana. In this states, purchasing an 1/8 of an ounce for upwards of $125 or higher is pretty common.

These dispensaries are intentionally gouging prices to reap the money they can.

It is no farce that the biggest opponents against recreational marijuana is not the public, it is the medical marijuana dispensaries, because, once legalized, they would serve no purpose.

Our only real other opponent is the doctors that are licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, for exactly the same reason.

We have come to several Marijuana websites to ask this same question as we are looking to avoid all the pitfalls of other states but be able to move forward and provide a suitable solution for all involved.

I appreciate the comment, we are actually meeting on Thursday to review all of the comments we receive from all the forums we have posted on, but for now, the fight for legal marijuana is with me, 2 senators and 4 testifying persons.

Against us is 14 doctors (all prescribers) and virtually every single medical marijuana dispensary in the state.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Problem with the Dr's in part is they can't "prescribe" it like they would something from the Pharmacy, all they can do is recommend it for the patient as they don't want to risk losing their license over it with the Feds. Far as I know it no different there for Doctors as it's the Federal part of it (unless they do it oddly different there and actually write a prescription like they do in Canada), same as the Banks can't/won't deal with the folks in the cannabis industry as they don't want the Feds shutting them down for "drug laundering". So it has to change on the Federal level for real changes to happen. A lot of it is supply and demand far as the Dispensaries go, I have no idea on the rules or the fees involved or testing of the product required for growing there for Medical so I have no idea on their costs, let alone the supply and demand thing as if there is less supply than demand then they can charge close to street prices for it. Here Medical doesn't pay the tax so it is 20-25% cheaper than what the Rec folks are charged at the Dispensaries, but there is such a glut of product that growing your own costs you more in power bill and supplies if you growing indoors (I still prefer stuff I have grown as I know what is and isn't in it, as my standards higher than what the State allows even though OR is one of the tougher ones on testing and what is allowed far as chemicals go).

 

[PaRecreationalLegalizatio]

For my statement, prescribe = recommend

Here in Pennsylvania, a prescriber logs into the Pa Dept of Health website and inputs their US FDA number and verifies that the potential patient is eligible for medical marijuana.

Without that verification, you cannot be issued your medical marijuana card, so in essence, they are in fact, prescribing medical marijuana regardless of federal rules.

 

[Dwight Monk]

For my statement, prescribe = recommend

Here in Pennsylvania, a prescriber logs into the Pa Dept of Health website and inputs their US FDA number and verifies that the potential patient is eligible for medical marijuana.

Without that verification, you cannot be issued your medical marijuana card, so in essence, they are in fact, prescribing medical marijuana regardless of federal rules.

Just a incorrect terminology, as it is Schedule 1 on the Fed level and that means "no medical value", so until that changes the word prescribe means losing your license to practice medicine, hence why they got around that by saying "recommend" . Just saying you need to research and use correct terminology with anything Govt. and you will still have to deal with some sort of stupidity or "reefer madness" mentalities so best to be on your "A game" so to speak IMHO. Oregon has tried for like 30 years to get it to a majority vote on a ballot measure for the public to vote on, it wasn't until they got smart and put in the taxes and regulations and actually thought out the ballot measure enough to get all the folks on the fence on the issue to come over (that and the older population stuck in the past to die off some probably too). As they covered all the bases so to speak, by the tax and increasing the penalties for "illegal" selling/growing and selling to minors and all the other things that got it to get to more than a 40% in favor as it takes over 50 % to pass on public voted ballots. Don't know anything about there if they do ballot measures or if you have to have it decided on by the govt bozos, if the later then it will be an uphill battle as they worse than the general public far as being stuck in their mindset, albeit they have a medical program for cannabis so some hope unlike the many States that still don't even have that (as they won't change until the Feds do and even then probably the likes of Alabama and Utah will still be illegal for awhile after the Feds change it).

 

[StoneOtter]

Good luck PaRecGal! We're in MA and I resent having to pay the $250 each year +$50 to the state to see the weed doc for a card just to avoid tax. It's already expensive enough to live, now you're sick and cannabis helps and they burden us with that. It's feels like a "we told you we didn't like it when you smoked weed tax!" We gave the med card up that we had to share for finance reasons, to grow at home. It's been a much better experience.
The powers that be should be sensitive to the fact that people who use cannabis are using it for health reasons. Be it simply the end of the day stress relief, or full blown terminal disease. It's medecine. I'm 64 and there's a lot of us elderish who use it in stead of opiates and alcohol to make through the day.
Thanks for carrying the ball through your great state!