Medical Marijuana Legislation Aimed At Fighting For Patients
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio1020 KDKA) - Sen. Mike Folmer sponsored the proposal to legalize the use of medical marijuana.
Fast forward to Sen. Chuck McIlhinney amending the bill presented by Sen. Folmer, outlining the the entire process of how the legalization would work. It details everything from the growing process to the regulation process.
The effort being put into the legalization of medical marijuana brings a sigh of relief to some. One of those being Dana Ulrich, her daughter Lorelei has generalized intractable epilepsy. Ulrich says her daughter can suffer 600 plus seizures a day.
Medical marijuana could be a saving grace for Lorelei, Robert Mangino asked Ulrich on the KDKA Afternoon News if she has been able to experiment with it.
"Unfortunately, thus far, we have not been able to do that because our state legislature has not passed a bill as of yet to allow us to use it. It's very dangerous for us to do so because as I would be very comfortable giving her cannabis, because it's non-toxic I don't fear for her health in that respect, I fear for my other children and Lorelei to be taken away from me," Ulrich explained. "That's the reality that our children could be taken away for trying to do what is best for them."
Ulrich says that her interest in using cannabis to help treat her daughter comes from a variety of sources. She has heard from families who actually use it to treat seizures as well as physicians that said they would be interested in the effects it would have on her condition.
"I've done a lot of research over the past year, I see stories not just from all over the country but all over the world. I mean they are doing massive amounts of studies in Israel actually paid for by the NIH here in the United States," Ulrich said.
Today, Ulrich along with about two dozen others went to Harrisburg to ask state senators to help vote to advance the bill allowing the use of medical marijuana. She was able to meet and thank senators like Sen. McIlhinney for their support. Ulrich says that his bill is exactly what people need; other bills similar to his wouldn't do enough.
"We need something like Senate Bill 1182. It's been crafted very carefully so that it is regulated; it's a smart bill and we just need to see movement on it at this point," Ulrich said.
She asks that you call your legislator and show your support for the bill and tell them this is what we need in Pennsylvania.
You can hear the whole interview with Dana Ulrich here:
You can also listen to the KDKA Afternoon News weekdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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