Pennsylvania Pot Laws

From https://potguide.com/pennsylvania/marijuana-laws/ :

Pennsylvania made its first steps in marijuana legislation with the October 2014 decriminalization of up to 30 grams of cannabis in Philadelphia. Other cities like Pittsburgh would do the same in the years that followed. Pennsylvania marijuana consumption became legal for medicinal purposes on April 17, 2016.

With the signing of law Senate Bill 3, Governor Tom Wolf ushered in the state's compassionate medical cannabis legislation.

Above is a summary of the current laws regarding cannabis in the states of Pennsylvania. This all may not seem to bad, and the words used in the description are gentle. Words like "decriminalized", "compassionate", and "legal" give the cannabis community hope, but what is the actual reality of the cannabis situation in Pennsylvania?

I have lived in good old PA my entire life, and I have also had multiple friends arrested for marijuana possession, some quite recently. Though medical marijuana is now legal in Pennsylvania the conditions that make you qualified to receive it are as follows: 

• Addiction Substitute Therapy – Opioid Reduction
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Autism
• Cancer, Including Remission Therapy
• Crohn’s Disease
• Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
• Dyskinetic and Spastic Movement Disorders
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Huntington’s Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Intractable Seizures
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neuropathies
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Terminal Illness                                                                                                                                    (This information was taken from the website listed above) While it is wonderful that these diseases and medical conditions are now able to be treated with marijuana in Pennsylvania, these conditions are not the only ones that are able to be treated by cannabis. It is well known that cannabis is useful in treatment on anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and bipolar disorders as well. Where is the support for these mental health victims? Not in Pennsylvania apparently.                                                                          On top of all of this there is the mention of the decriminalization of marijuana possession under 30 grams in Pennsylvania, While this is true for some cities like Philadelphia, it is not true for all. Countless classmates of mine have lost credibility, their majors, money, and have even faced jail time for marijuana possession, all under the weight of 30 grams. This to me is unacceptable, and shows that as a state Pennsylvania is still very intolerant and needs much work. All of this being said, my fellow PA people, be careful, be vigilant, and know that possession can still get in a lot of trouble. Remember to vote accordingly when you have the chance. 

Stay Lifted,

Lexi