January 26 — Senator Mike Regan from York County issued a memo recently stating that he wants to loosen the requirements for medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania.
It would make it easier for certain doctors to issue prescriptions and easier to renew the medical marijuana cards.
Attorney Clint Barkdoll suggested, “Presumably there would be support for this in a Democratically controlled House, but if they can peel off a few Republicans, including this Senator in the Senate, this would be another issue that very well could make it to the finish line.”
A number of people have noticed it’s already pretty darn easy to get a medical marijuana prescription — how much easier can you make it?
Barkdoll said, “The barriers are already very, very low to get these medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania.”
Michele Jansen of NewsTalk 103.7 pointed out, “Yet there’s very little proof that this does anything medically for anybody. Why is it that it’s young men who are mostly coming in for these cards? They don’t have chronic pain and that’s one of the thing’s that’s cited. And anxiety? It actually causes more anxiety. It does not relieve it. It’s a feedback loop. It’s just ridiculous and we’re seeing more and more problems with marijuana use, but who cares?”
Representative Rob Kauffman said, “Make no mistake about it, this is just the next step toward recreational marijuana. That’s exactly where we’re heading and all this does is push the accelerator toward that goal.”
Jansen said, “It just infuriates me. It’s not a safe and trusted product. I think with nausea and certain cancer patients there’s some evidence. Mike Regan, you’re so sincere. You just so want to help people. I want you to take a pledge that you personally and nobody in your family is going to benefit from medical marijuana made recreational or even loosening up the (requirements). I want you to take a pledge because you care so much and that’s really all it’s all about and you care about the state and you just want them to get more tax money. Then you take a personal pledge that you will never make a dime from this industry.”
Kauffman suggested, “I would honestly like to see all elected officials take that kind of pledge when we’re voting on things like marijuana, either medical or recreational because there are former members of Congress who have gone out to different states who have literally done what they could do to help the industry, to work on the issue and then they’ve gone and taken their gig with the industry.”
Jansen added, “This is also getting weirdly caught up in the redistribution of wealth to groups that some think should have more wealth. Who is this hurting? What populations is marijuana hurting the most? It’s our minority populations. But we can make sure that minorities get to be at the head of these businesses and they can make the money from it and you think that that’s somehow justice. Again, looking backwards and trying to solve problems of the past. No, you’re causing so many problems right now.”
There could also be Second Amendment issues with marijuana. A gun permit would likely not be issued if a person has a medical marijuana card.
Kauffman noted, “Under federal law, (marijuana) is still illegal. It’s kind of like a shell game that they try to figure out how to legally take in money from what is considered a federally illegal operation. It’s the strange dynamic in every state as we try to deal with this critical issue.”
Jansen said, “And those who want to take guns away from everybody, isn’t this a convenient way to get the guns out of the hands of lots of people?”
“Good point,” Ryan said. “You don’t need guns. You need your dope. You are getting sold out and used and then discarded.”
