Pennsylvania

The state of Pennsylvania is anticipated to begin awarding their first medical marijuana licenses today. And, eager to learn more about the medicinal effect of the plant’s active compounds, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University has announced their intention to study the synergistic …

Legal cannabis is coming to Pennsylvania, but it won’t all be sold in a dispensary. In addition to the state’s upcoming medical marijuana program, late this week, farmers in Kutztown, PA sowed a three acre plot with the state’s first …

NFL HOF Linebacker Jack Ham advocates for cannabis in Pennsylvania and will serve as a spokesperson and consultant for AGRiMED, which has plans to grow and provide cannabis for patients who meet a qualifying medical condition for the therapeutic use of marijuana.  This partnership plans to advocate for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania  by connecting patients with the medicine they need.

In an interview with local radio station WHYY, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said that he thinks Pennsylvania should legalize recreational marijuana and sell it via state-run liquor stores. The mayor said that selling and taxing recreational pot would provide additional funding for the state, so that they wouldn't need to raise income or sales taxes. “This is a new source of revenue that people are doing now,” he said.

Like many states, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation allows businesses to “Adopt a Highway,” providing roadside cleanup services in exchange for a road sign displaying the name of the business. The Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival recently applied to adopt a state road, but was denied due to the fact that marijuana is still federally prohibited.

Jeff Zick, organizer of the festival, said that the PennDOT originally told him he couldn't apply because the festival wasn't a business. When Zick returned with proof of the festival's LLC status, he was told he was denied for supporting non-medical cannabis use.

Like many states, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation allows businesses to “Adopt a Highway,” providing roadside cleanup services in exchange for a road sign displaying the name of the business. The Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival recently applied to adopt a state road, but was denied due to the fact that marijuana is still federally prohibited.

Jeff Zick, organizer of the festival, said that the PennDOT originally told him he couldn't apply because the festival wasn't a business.

A young Utah man has died after being denied a lung transplant due to traces of marijuana in his system. At the age of 19, Riley Hancey caught pneumonia after contracting the flu. The pneumonia led to a lung infection, causing both of his lungs to collapse. Hancey spent two months hospitalized at the University of Utah Hospital, where doctors determined that he needed a double lung transplant in order to survive.

However, the University of Utah Hospital denied the young man a transplant when Hancey tested positive for THC.

In an effort to prevent more people from going to jail over marijuana possession, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney believes the state should drag its policies out of the trenches of prohibition and legalize a recreational cannabis trade similar to what is happening in other jurisdictions.

Over the weekend, Kenney was asked what he thought about the recent bust at a Philadelphia pot party, in which police seized 50 pounds of marijuana, 100 pounds of THC-infused edible products and $50,000 in cash, according to a report from Philly.com.

Kenney called the raid “overkill.”

“The real solution to this is

Medical marijuana was legalized in Pennsylvania one year ago, but the program is not planned to go into effect until next year. As the program ramps up, entrepreneurs have been setting up new marijuana businesses while local governments are tweaking …

It appears President Donald Trump is about to make another staunch marijuana opponent a member of his staff.

Reports indicate that Pennsylvania Representative Tom Marino, who has served three terms in Congress, is on the verge of stepping down from his role as a one of the nation’s legislative forces to become the leader of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

“A source familiar with personnel moves in the White House says that Marino is in the final stages of completing his paperwork and an official announcement is forthcoming.