Pa.Medical Marijuana Renewal Bill aims to lower prices and increase employment opportunities

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (WHTM) – A bill to update the five-year-old Medical Marijuana Act in Pennsylvania has passed through legislative process. The state parliament decided this week.

House Bill 1024 aims to increase employment and lower prices for 500,000 medical marijuana program participants in Pennsylvania.

“This modified package improves patient access to the drug,” said Meredith Büttner, executive director of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Union.

abc27News investigates access issues patients face due to the cost of medical marijuana series A few months ago. This bill will make medical marijuana cheaper by allowing more in the market and removing some of the expensive testing regulations.

“A lot of technologies have changed in the last five years,” says Buttner. “A lot of techniques have changed.”

The law is taking temporary steps to make the pandemic permanent.

This includes that customers can be supplied for three months and producers and processors are forced to use motion detector security systems.

The law will open up more financial opportunities for farmers as hemp products must be integrated into the medical marijuana supply chain.

“There are new varieties that are suitable for the disease,” says Buttner. “This gives us access to it.”

Since its inception, Keystone’s medical program has created more than 9,000 jobs.

Proponents say it’s important to get more people into the industry.

“A kid who had a college dorm room problem because of marijuana who doesn’t currently have access to a job in the marijuana industry … that job will fix that too,” Butettner said.

There is a full list of lawmakers opposed to recreational marijuana, but the same does not apply to medical marijuana. The House of Representatives passed the bill by 164 votes to 38, with Democrats and Republicans on both sides.

“These modernizations will enable us to deliver the highest quality drugs as efficiently as possible,” says Buttner.

The draft law is currently being examined by the Senate Act and the Justice Committee.