Mentzer, Greiner Comment on Passage of Medical Cannabis Legislation
HARRISBURG- Today, State Reps. Steve Mentzer (R-Lititz) and Keith Greiner (R-Upper Leacock) opposed the amended version of
Senate Bill 3 in the House of Representatives. The legislation would allow for the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of several debilitating illnesses. The measure passed in the House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate for concurrence.
Mentzer offered amendments to the legislation which would have allowed for the expansion of clinical trials for all cannabis-based medications for Pennsylvanians suffering from illnesses. The measure failed to garner the support of a majority of the House of Representatives required for passage.
Mentzer and Greiner released the following statement to clarify their votes on final passage of the legislation:
“After carefully considering dozens of amendments and engaging in hours of discussion, we opposed this legislation because of the potential unintended consequences of amendments which were adopted. We worked to improve this legislation by offering amendments that would ensure that qualified medical professionals could provide medical marijuana to patients under the strict guidelines of clinical trials. One of the primary reasons we opposed this legislation was because of an amendment which would lift the 10 percent cap on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that may be present in medical marijuana that is dispensed to a patient. The legislation now allows cannabis-based medicines to have an unlimited amount of THC.
“THC is the psychoactive hallucinogenic compound in cannabis that gives users the euphoric or high feeling. This amendment would open the door for potential abuse and increased recreational use. Many states that have medical cannabis programs place caps on the amount of THC allowable in treatments. Additionally troubling with the legislation, is that it would allow for vaporization to be used as a method of treatment. Vaporization is akin to using an e-cigarette to smoke marijuana which would also increase the likelihood of abuse and recreational use.
“We approached this legislation open-minded and with compassion to all those who are suffering and are looking for a possible solution to their ailments in medical cannabis. However, we do not feel that the legislation as it was amended in the House of Representatives is a responsible approach to the issue and may have unintended consequences in the Commonwealth.”
Representative Steven Mentzer
97th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Representative Keith J. Greiner, CPA
43rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Eric Reath
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