The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA), representing more than 212,000 registered nurses in Pennsylvania, supports Senate Bill 1182 “Medical Marijuana” introduced by Senator Mike Folmer. SB 1182 both protects patients from prosecution when seeking the use of medicinal marijuana and protects health care providers who suggest medicinal marijuana to relieve intractable medical conditions or symptoms. PSNA supports the establishment of efficient drug delivery, growing and dispensing systems as contained within SB 1182.

It is the position of PSNA that medical marijuana is worthy of further rigorous clinical testing. To truly weigh the risks and benefits of medical marijuana, there must be federal-level open discussions regarding the conversion of marijuana from a Schedule I to Schedule II drug classification. Schedule II classification would allow testing of consistent grade medical marijuana in a randomized controlled fashion to ascertain the drug’s risk/benefit profile for a multitude of illnesses and symptoms.

“PSNA would like to thank Senator Folmer for bringing nurses to the table to discuss this important patient-driven initiative,” stated PSNA CEO Betsy M. Snook, MEd, BSN, RN.