Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu

As of October 20, 2022, the state of Pennsylvania has finalized its seemingly ongoing medical marijuana legislation. 

Medical marijuana is not a fresh concept to the state, with legislation permitting it since 2016. Though it has been legal for pharmaceutical usage, rules and regulations remained unclear. The new legislation states that all marijuana must be tested at two labs before reaching the pharmacy, which the industry has long opposed.

Sending marijana to two labs helps ensure that the product is mold and toxin free, which would ultimately ensure that consumers are getting the best product possible. Dispensary owners and growers alike recognize that the two-lab approach will undoubtedly slow production times and inflate THC tax, resulting in higher prices for consumers. 

Pennsylvania has approximately 414,000 medical marijuana patients, 35 growers/processors, and more than 50 dispensary operators–most of which own up to three locations. Despite industry officials opposing a two-step process, Meredith Buettner of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition says that the new regulations are a step in the proper direction. For Buettner, the final approval gives a sense of security and finality that cannabis users and growers have been long awaiting. She also noted that Pennsylvania will soon have a new governor, who may be more open to hearing concerns. 

One of the more ambiguous regulations to be passed remains uncertain: regulation of additives to vaporized products. The state health department used the ambiguity of additive usage to pull a handful of vapor products off the market earlier this year–the same legislation that prohibited e-cigarette powerhouse Juul from distributing their products in the state of Pennsylvania. Originally, the ban recalled over six hundred vaporized products, most containing cannabis extracts. 

Though the future of total marijuana legalization remains unclear for Pennsylvanians, it is quite clear that the state will move forward with making medical marijuana more accessible to those who need it–even as more regulations roll out.