Pa. lawmakers and doctors square off on medical marijuana

It was doctors against lawmakers, science against anecdotes, at Tuesday's joint committee hearing on medical marijuana.

Yes, joint. Twenty state representatives from the Judiciary and Health Committees, mostly Republicans, filed into Pennsylvania Hospital on Tuesday, many bearing grim accounts of ill constituents who say pot helps them feel less pain.

But doctors told the reps there is little proof marijuana does more good than harm, for any ailment. They called for new research funding and Food and Drug Administration approval before a new law is passed.

I was there with one of this region's would-be pot capitalists, Scot "Zippy" Ziskind, of Camden-based Zipco Wine Cellars, who says clients in some of the 23 states where medical or recreational pot is legal want him to expand from wine-storage coolers to marijuana grow-rooms.

 

Ziskind supplied color commentary, which is helpful when watching...

Rate this article: 

This marijuana news is brought to you by 420 Intel. For the latest breaking cannabis industry news, subscribe to the 420 Intel newsletter. If you'd like to promote your product or service in this area after every article, contact us.


URL: 
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150329_PhillyDeals__Pa__lawmakers_and_doctors_square_off_on_medical_marijuana.html