A group of medical doctors will visit Pennsylvania state lawmakers on Tuesday and urge them to support legislation that would allow seriously ill residents to use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. They will join a group of local combat veterans and their loved ones at 1:30 p.m. ET for a news conference outside the Lt. Governor’s Office.
Participants in the event will include Dr. Sue Sisley, a nationally recognized authority on treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with medical marijuana; Dr. Sanjay Gupta of Philadelphia, a prominent pain management specialist; Dr. Scott Mueller of Mechanicsburg, a family medicine physician; combat veterans Mike Whiter and Barrett Thompson of Philadelphia, both of whom suffer from PTSD; and Donnamarie Freedman of Cumberland County, the mother of a veteran who committed suicide after struggling with PTSD.
The Senate approved SB 3 40-7 on May 12, and the issue is awaiting consideration in the House. SB 3 would allow patients with serious medical conditions to obtain medical marijuana from a limited number of licensed, regulated dispensaries throughout the state. Smoking would not be permitted, but patients would be allowed to consume marijuana in edible form, and patients with certain conditions would be allowed to consume it through vaporization. To qualify, patients would need recommendations from their doctors. Gov. Tom Wolf has said he would sign a medical marijuana bill into law.
Nearly nine out of 10 Pennsylvania voters (88%) support medical marijuana, according to an April survey conducted by Quinnipiac University. Nine out of 10 Pennsylvania doctors would recommend medical marijuana to their patients, according to a survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have adopted effective medical marijuana laws.
WHAT: News conference featuring doctors and veterans who support SB 3, the bill that would allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it
WHEN: Tuesday, June 23, 1:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Outside the Lt. Governor’s Office, State Government Office, 200 Capitol Complex, Harrisburg
WHO:
Dr. Sue Sisley, nationally recognized researcher on marijuana and PTSD
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Philadelphia pain management specialist
Dr. Scott Mueller, Mechanicsburg family medicine physician
Mike Whiter, Philadelphia veteran suffering from PTSD
Barrett Thompson, Philadelphia veteran suffering from PTSD
Donnamarie Freedman, Cumberland County mother of deceased veteran
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Campaign for Compassion is a group of seriously ill patients and their loved ones, medical practitioners, and advocates that works to educate the public about the benefits of medical cannabis and to enact a comprehensive medical cannabis law in Pennsylvania. For more information, visit https://www.campaign4compassion.com/.
