Approval of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program was only signed into law this spring, so it is no surprise that legislators are still hammering out the details. In the meantime, while everyone waits for final laws pertaining to the medical marijuana program roughly two years from now, the Department of Health has drafted temporary rules and regulations. To encourage transparency and push the program towards the focus of helping patients, the regulations were open to public input and criticism, so that they can be reviewed and redrafted later on.
General Provisions, Cultivators & Dispensaries
The general provisions regarding medical marijuana law in Pennsylvania are essentially in place already. These provisions cover the heavily-legal aspects of the program, from fees and permits to inspections and advertising. There are also a handful of new regulations regarding cultivators and processors in the field of medical marijuana, such as what pesticides they can use when growing the crops or what methods of transportation are acceptable when moving product or byproducts.
What to do about dispensaries represents the last and largest hurdle for legislators. Many of the temporary regulations recently published deal directly with dispensaries, where they can be located, and how they must be operated. The Department of Health has stated that a finalized list of temporary dispensary regulations will be announced within the next two months.
Pennsylvania’s Move Towards Medical Marijuana
While it might seem that releasing lists of temporary regulations is a complicated process, Pennsylvania has actually been heralded as one of the few states that is handling its legal medical marijuana program well. By attempting to cover all bases at the beginning, rather than backtracking once a problem is revealed in the future, legislators and contributors to the regulations move the state towards an agreeable solution sooner than later. Some are optimistic that the official program will be solidly in place in as little as 18 months.
For more information about the temporary regulations, follow these links:
To speak to a Pennsylvania medical marijuana attorney about the changes and how they pertain to your business or medical practice, contact Sacks Weston LLC today.