Pa. Lawmakers Hold Philadelphia Hearing On Medical Marijuana Legalization
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some Pennsylvania state legislators traveled to Philadelphia today for a hearing on medical marijuana.
There was overall agreement among the medical experts who testified before members of the Pennsylvania House health and judiciary committees that medical marijuana is helpful in treating some symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
But opinions differed on the question of whether the Pennsylvania legislature should join 23 other states in approving marijuana for medical use.
"In our opinion there is no compelling at this time to legalize medical marijuana," said one.
"No one has ever died from an overdose of medical marijuana," noted another. "In fact, there is no lethal dose for marijuana."
Committee members also heard from staunch supporters of medical marijuana.
Rep. Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery County) said this is the first of three fact-finding hearings that the joint Health and Judiciary Committees have scheduled this spring.
After that, she said, "We'll see if there's a bill that we'd like to draft to address the issue. And there are already a number of bills that legislators in the House are working on. It could be a new bill, it could be one of the bills that are already out there."
In January, a medical marijuana bill was reintroduced in the state Senate.