Pa. medical-pot law sets off race to get ready
Medical marijuana won't be available in Pennsylvania for at least two years, yet politicians, academics, and entrepreneurs are already scrambling to brand themselves as industry leaders and experts.
Medical marijuana won't be available in Pennsylvania for at least two years, yet politicians, academics, and entrepreneurs are already scrambling to brand themselves as industry leaders and experts.
The state's medical-marijuana law eventually will make pharmaceutical cannabis products available to residents who suffer from serious medical conditions. Eligible ailments include autism, cancer, epilepsy, and chronic pain.
The details of the law still need to be hammered out. The stakes are high. The specifics, which remain unwritten, may determine how Pennsylvania's medical marijuana is grown, processed, and distributed and who will win the coveted licenses to do so.
On Thursday, State Sen. Daylin Leach (D., Montgomery) said he would hold a conference - bearing his name - to debate the best ways to regulate medical marijuana.
"Daylin Leach's Medical Marijuana Regulatory-Palooza" is set for July 8 at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. The conference is free, but interested attendees must complete an online application at www.leachconference.com.
Leach is coauthor of the state medical-marijuana law. He recently introduced a bill to fully legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold in state stores, as alcohol is.
Leach will collect recommendations at the conference from prospective patients, growers, and investors on how the current law should be implemented.
Leach said he would use the advice to draft a report he will deliver to the state. He says the report could serve as a nationwide model for medical-marijuana regulations.
On Tuesday, Thomas Jefferson University announced it had created a think tank to provide unbiased guidance to physicians and patients about the medical uses of marijuana.
The Center for Medical Cannabis Education and Research will operate out of Jefferson's Institute of Emerging Health Professions in Center City, said its director, Charles V. Pollack Jr.
Pollack said the center had recruited a steering committee of 15 international experts who will act as a "sieve that separates the hype from the science."
The center will not play a direct role in Pennsylvania's medical-marijuana industry, he said, but will offer online courses to physicians, pharmacists, and others participating in the program.
Jefferson's center will also collaborate with researchers across the state to track medical marijuana's development as it takes root in Pennsylvania.
Business seminars purporting to offer guidance for average folks dreaming of staking a claim in the marijuana gold rush are popping up nearly every month.
This weekend, an outfit called U.S. Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research and Development is staging two conferences at area hotels.
For $350 a ticket, participants can attend a daylong event Saturday at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown or Sunday at the Philadelphia Marriott West in Conshohocken.
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