PennLive invited some of its readers to discuss the decriminalization of marijuana in the state of Pennsylvania.
18 Comments
I gravitated toward Marijuana after a 2007 Heroin arrest….the ARREST saved my life….Marijuana gave me FREEDOM from Heroin…. I am facing 15-30yrs for smoking Marijuana, right now.
Pennsylvania, on 8/24, literally busted my doors down for a controlled buy of 30g or less….  Warrant was from a controlled buy, having a family member calling me for 3 consecutive days, begging me and harassing me to hook him up with an ounce of my personal….they used that to bust my doors down and literally STEAL 6yrs worth of rare and exotic varieties that I DESPERATELY NEED for medicinal purposes, and have for past 30yrs. As well as ALL my familys hands on cash, around 4k…..nothing to do with my weed…..   After pandemic hit and we all lost our jobs, I was desperate to find a means of survival. If the dollar fails, my family will NEED food and necessities . If there is a food shortage, my family NEEDS food….i BETTER have something worth trading and bartering, as there will b no other way……and I admit, when I lost my job and lost 10 months in wages from my private contracting business….I decided it might be a good idea to learn hydroponics….i bought peas, various beans and other viney vegetables, as well as 2 cannabis plants and a few small HEMP plants, in propogation…less than.03% thc. Im facing 15-to 30yrs in prison and IF IM LUCKY, I might get a plea deal of 5-10yrs, because of my past record…..     I havent been in trouble AT ALL or on parole since my LAST pot arrest, in 2010…where the state did same exact thing, pinching a best friend, who turned informant, who uses me to get out of trouble…this is 4th time in 30yrs…purposely perpetrated and victimized me and my family…. I am all but 50yrs old now. This has been my life story. It HAS TO STOP. Wasting time, money and resources for an ounce of weed is and should be, ILLEGAL….  I have NOTHING left to loose. And am willing to fight to the point where I am heard, loud and clear.   I need YOUR help to make an amazing change in PA laws and or policy in accordance to Recreational Marijuana. I am currently a state registered Medical marijuana patient and will soon have my case in the courts and am very interested in filing a civil suit against the state for purposeful coercion to commit a crime of desperation in the midst of a pandemic. Im an old man who sits at home like a good citizen and smokes pot….I did NOTHING WRONG until they manipulated me, through a family member, and had him beg me for 3 dayz, taking FULL ADVANTAGE of my mental, Psychological , and Financial desperation , extorting me into committing a crime, that i NORMALLY would NOT have committed, otherwise….that ALONE, should be illegal….not to mention that they beleived they were going to find Narcotic drugs and ONLY found my personal weed, as thats ALL I've done since 2007…..  Im ALSO, a RARE success story, as I am a HEROIN and Cocaine addict, clean from ALL NARCOTICS since July 2007….never once relapsed , and I owe a great deal of gratitude  and ALL that I am today, because I found FREEDOM in Marijuana…..I have an AMAZING story, bding a victim on the war on drugs. The legal system has destroyed and taken 30 years of my life……I AM NOT GOING TO ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE….Im making a stand. Im sick and tired of being oppressed and unable to get a GOOD paying job, all my adult years. Im sick and tired of the decades of life ordered to be spent in prison due to an addiction to drugs i did NOT create, nor have means to transport those drugs across borders and be sure to infect the mssses of innocent victims to highly addictive drugs along with even more money being made on prosecution of war on drug, cases. I am our poorest citizen class. My life has been working to pay off fines and costs to the state…NEVER RESTITUTION, as all drug crimes are victimless crimes, unless involving death…but that is NOT marijuana related, at all…  I need your HelP to be heard. I need attorneys, willing to fight the state in Franin County PA. I need an attorney who knows the science of marijuana and botany….i need press. I need citizen support. I need Pro- advocates for marijuana reform. I need in touch wit NORML's PA chapter and get a team together to utilize my case to conveniently access the courts to push the Pro-recreational agenda.  What I did is technically federally illegal….and is far from the level of Federally ILLEGAL manufacturing and distribution happening at over 27 facilities across the PA state….    if im guilty of anything, it is manufacturing 2 cannabis plants without a state license and sale of 30 grams or less , without a caregiver registration….both are 500$ fines….to establish this very realistic outcome, would set a new precedent in how future marijuana cases are handled in PA courts.   Thank you for taking the time to hear my message and I will forever pray for your support and help in networking with the right people so we can seriously begin to make a legal difference in this state……after all, what is life worth if you don't stand up and fight for your rights….my 1st and 4th Amendment Rights were definitely violated, whats to say that tomorrow, the might not turn around and do the same exact thing to another victim or yourselves, for that matter. This could easily happen to you. Im willing to be the face and voice to INSURE it does not happen to you , or anyone, ever again.  Please, everyone and anyone that is willing to help in anyway, wether u have referrals, contact information, resources, events and volunteer work, or if you are in a similar situation, I would love to hear from you….. My contact info is: jappleby1972@yahoo.com
Here we are a year later with Covid-19 spreading and still no legal path for weed in sight in PA. Medical is great but all it really amounts to is you paying to get a card to be allowed to buy weed from the state. Total BS if you ask me. So suddenly it's OK for the state to sell weed, but I am a drug dealer if I do. Calling BS.
Lets just be real here. Everyone is going to keep doing it regardless. Just legalize it already and quit wasting my hard earned tax dollars on enforcement that is not ever going to change anything.
As disrespectful as this sounds maybe McDonalds, fast food, and other poor lifestyle choices should be illegal and excessive sugar should be limited as it is very addictive and a real gateway to more sugar. My point is that one of the speakers is majorly obese and said that marijuana is a gateway drug and comparatively says "whats next…coke"….get real…Marijuana is not a drug. It is a plant and it can be used effectively for medical purposes and recreationally for MATURE adults. Any mature adult knows how to use this drug recreationally and there are always going to be knuckleheads who abuse other drugs including marijuana. There is already a black market and there always will be. Lets legalize marijuana for recreational purposes so the people who do consume responsibly can enjoy a healthy FDA approved version so theres no worry about lacing with fentanyl or anything else that has already killed enough people…good people!
Under present law,you must go to a doctor who specializes in marijuana(4hour seminar).$200 to ok your $50 license.I called UPMC,my health carrier and they will not allow me to go to my pcp $5,since they do not recognize marijuana as a drug.$250 and you never even got a drug from an inflated dispensary yet.Back to the street!
POSTED MARCH 07, 2011, 11:03 AM , UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, 2011, 2:28 PM

Ann MacDonald Contributor, Harvard Health
Teenagers and young adults who use marijuana may be messing with their heads in ways they don’t intend. Evidence is mounting that regular marijuana use increases the chance that a teenager will develop psychosis, a pattern of unusual thoughts or perceptions, such as believing the television is transmitting secret messages. It also increases the risk of developing schizophrenia, a disabling brain disorder that not only causes psychosis, but also problems concentrating and loss of emotional expression. In one recent study that followed nearly 2,000 teenagers as they became young adults, young people who smoked marijuana at least five times were twice as likely to have developed psychosis over the next 10 years as those who didn’t smoke pot. Another new paper concluded that early marijuana use could actually hasten the onset of psychosis by three years. Those most at risk are youths who already have a mother, father, or sibling with schizophrenia or some other psychotic disorder. Young people with a parent or sibling affected by psychosis have a roughly one in 10 chance of developing the condition themselves—even if they never smoke pot. Regular marijuana use, however, doubles their risk—to a one in five chance of becoming psychotic. In comparison, youths in families unaffected by psychosis have a 7 in 1,000 chance of developing it. If they smoke pot regularly, the risk doubles, to 14 in 1,000. For years, now, experts have been sounding the alarm about a possible link between marijuana use and psychosis. One of the best-known studies followed nearly 50,000 young Swedish soldiers for 15 years. Those who had smoked marijuana at least once were more than twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as those who had never smoked pot. The heaviest users (who said they used marijuana more than 50 times) were six times as likely to develop schizophrenia as the nonsmokers. So far, this research shows only an association between smoking pot and developing psychosis or schizophrenia later on. That’s not the same thing as saying that marijuana causes psychosis. This is how research works. Years ago, scientists first noted an association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Only later were they able to figure out exactly how cigarette smoke damaged the lungs and other parts of the body, causing cancer and other diseases. The research on marijuana and the brain is at a much earlier stage. We do know that THC, one of the active compounds in marijuana, stimulates the brain and triggers other chemical reactions that contribute to the drug’s psychological and physical effects. But it’s not clear how marijuana use might lead to psychosis. One theory is that marijuana may interfere with normal brain development during the teenage years and young adulthood. The teenage brain is still a work in progress. Between the teen years and the mid-20s, areas of the brain responsible for judgment and problem solving are still making connections with the emotional centers of the brain. Smoking marijuana may derail this process and so increase a young person’s vulnerability to psychotic thinking. (You can read more about how the adolescent brain develops in this article from the Harvard Mental Health Letter.) While the research on marijuana and the mind has not yet connected all the dots, these new studies provide one more reason to caution young people against using marijuana—especially if they have a family member affected by schizophrenia or some other psychotic disorder. Although it may be a tough concept to explain to a teenager, the reward of a short-time high isn’t worth the long-term risk of psychosis or a disabling disorder like schizophrenia.
Do not make it like the PA lottery or your casinos…no one will stop going black market…your casinos are awful….their take is sadistic …then they tax….jesus christ…find a bookie…these casinos are mafia run or what? Their payouts are insulting.
Legalize it! Pay teachers more! Allow for mom and pops to apply for Business licenses at a reasonable cost that the average person can afford and not just wealthy corporations and conglomerates can only afford. six plants for personal use because growing is therapy I have many veteran brothers and sisters that could benefit from such therapy. Not everyone can have a serves animal in there lives. I found it's more stressful having a serves animal for my ptsd then it is having a couple spider plants on the front porch. Please help save my brothers and sisters lives already. Let the new bill pass I beg you
Why are we seriously still debating!? Its not man made it's a plant that you can grow and that it has no additives to it! Cocaine man made as well as other drugs! I'm all for legalization it would help so much and people wouldn't feel a need to sneak around and hide alcohol was illegal however many years ago but now it's legal but only to people who are of the age 21 but alcohol kills it has so many negative health benefits as well as other drugs but if marijuana is controlled in a positive way you wouldn't have to worry about the crimes that are so called being made…. but all in all marijuana would be like alcohol you are to 21 to use…
I think Pennsylvania is going about this correct way…gather data, look at it, and make a decision based on your results. I am fully for the legalization of marijuana for the following reasons: 1. There is no LD (lethal dosage) associate with Marijuana. 2. Its been used for thousands of years by many cultures. 3. There is a peaceful culture now associated with it. And those that make it demonized is happening only because the current system has people move towards those street dealers and not approved vendors. 4. If it is regulated like beer, wine, spirits and manufactured according to the FDA and GMP Practices, then access to it and the education involved in it will only benefit the user. 5. The government should not be telling us what to do with our bodies. 6. You cannot become physically addicted to the substance (anything can be addictive…so this to me isn't a valid reason against marijuana). 7. It has aided those with physical ailments as well as increasing someone's mental health if used for that reason. 8. It doesn't alter your ability to be an empathetic, sympathetic, and compassionate person. You can have a fully involved and intellectual conversation while under the influence. I cannot stress enough that if you are a lazy, uninspired, violent person, you will be that way regardless if you are using marijuana or not.
I gravitated toward Marijuana after a 2007 Heroin arrest….the ARREST saved my life….Marijuana gave me FREEDOM from Heroin….
I am facing 15-30yrs for smoking Marijuana, right now.
Pennsylvania, on 8/24, literally busted my doors down for a controlled buy of 30g or less….
 Warrant was from a controlled buy, having a family member calling me for 3 consecutive days, begging me and harassing me to hook him up with an ounce of my personal….they used that to bust my doors down and literally STEAL 6yrs worth of rare and exotic varieties that I DESPERATELY NEED for medicinal purposes, and have for past 30yrs. As well as ALL my familys hands on cash, around 4k…..nothing to do with my weed…..
  After pandemic hit and we all lost our jobs, I was desperate to find a means of survival. If the dollar fails, my family will NEED food and necessities . If there is a food shortage, my family NEEDS food….i BETTER have something worth trading and bartering, as there will b no other way……and I admit, when I lost my job and lost 10 months in wages from my private contracting business….I decided it might be a good idea to learn hydroponics….i bought peas, various beans and other viney vegetables, as well as 2 cannabis plants and a few small HEMP plants, in propogation…less than.03% thc.
Im facing 15-to 30yrs in prison and IF IM LUCKY, I might get a plea deal of 5-10yrs, because of my past record…..
    I havent been in trouble AT ALL or on parole since my LAST pot arrest, in 2010…where the state did same exact thing, pinching a best friend, who turned informant, who uses me to get out of trouble…this is 4th time in 30yrs…purposely perpetrated and victimized me and my family….
I am all but 50yrs old now. This has been my life story. It HAS TO STOP. Wasting time, money and resources for an ounce of weed is and should be, ILLEGAL….
 I have NOTHING left to loose. And am willing to fight to the point where I am heard, loud and clear.
  I need YOUR help to make an amazing change in PA laws and or policy in accordance to Recreational Marijuana. I am currently a state registered Medical marijuana patient and will soon have my case in the courts and am very interested in filing a civil suit against the state for purposeful coercion to commit a crime of desperation in the midst of a pandemic. Im an old man who sits at home like a good citizen and smokes pot….I did NOTHING WRONG until they manipulated me, through a family member, and had him beg me for 3 dayz, taking FULL ADVANTAGE of my mental, Psychological , and Financial desperation , extorting me into committing a crime, that i NORMALLY would NOT have committed, otherwise….that ALONE, should be illegal….not to mention that they beleived they were going to find Narcotic drugs and ONLY found my personal weed, as thats ALL I've done since 2007…..
 Im ALSO, a RARE success story, as I am a HEROIN and Cocaine addict, clean from ALL NARCOTICS since July 2007….never once relapsed , and I owe a great deal of gratitude  and ALL that I am today, because I found FREEDOM in Marijuana…..I have an AMAZING story, bding a victim on the war on drugs. The legal system has destroyed and taken 30 years of my life……I AM NOT GOING TO ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE….Im making a stand. Im sick and tired of being oppressed and unable to get a GOOD paying job, all my adult years. Im sick and tired of the decades of life ordered to be spent in prison due to an addiction to drugs i did NOT create, nor have means to transport those drugs across borders and be sure to infect the mssses of innocent victims to highly addictive drugs along with even more money being made on prosecution of war on drug, cases. I am our poorest citizen class. My life has been working to pay off fines and costs to the state…NEVER RESTITUTION, as all drug crimes are victimless crimes, unless involving death…but that is NOT marijuana related, at all…
 I need your HelP to be heard. I need attorneys, willing to fight the state in Franin County PA. I need an attorney who knows the science of marijuana and botany….i need press. I need citizen support. I need Pro- advocates for marijuana reform. I need in touch wit NORML's PA chapter and get a team together to utilize my case to conveniently access the courts to push the Pro-recreational agenda.
 What I did is technically federally illegal….and is far from the level of Federally ILLEGAL manufacturing and distribution happening at over 27 facilities across the PA state….
   if im guilty of anything, it is manufacturing 2 cannabis plants without a state license and sale of 30 grams or less , without a caregiver registration….both are 500$ fines….to establish this very realistic outcome, would set a new precedent in how future marijuana cases are handled in PA courts.
  Thank you for taking the time to hear my message and I will forever pray for your support and help in networking with the right people so we can seriously begin to make a legal difference in this state……after all, what is life worth if you don't stand up and fight for your rights….my 1st and 4th Amendment Rights were definitely violated, whats to say that tomorrow, the might not turn around and do the same exact thing to another victim or yourselves, for that matter. This could easily happen to you. Im willing to be the face and voice to INSURE it does not happen to you , or anyone, ever again.
 Please, everyone and anyone that is willing to help in anyway, wether u have referrals, contact information, resources, events and volunteer work, or if you are in a similar situation, I would love to hear from you…..
My contact info is:
jappleby1972@yahoo.com
Here we are a year later with Covid-19 spreading and still no legal path for weed in sight in PA. Medical is great but all it really amounts to is you paying to get a card to be allowed to buy weed from the state. Total BS if you ask me. So suddenly it's OK for the state to sell weed, but I am a drug dealer if I do. Calling BS.
Lets just be real here. Everyone is going to keep doing it regardless. Just legalize it already and quit wasting my hard earned tax dollars on enforcement that is not ever going to change anything.
That guy in the blue suit 1st speaker. Explained alot of good points. Legalize it
As disrespectful as this sounds maybe McDonalds, fast food, and other poor lifestyle choices should be illegal and excessive sugar should be limited as it is very addictive and a real gateway to more sugar. My point is that one of the speakers is majorly obese and said that marijuana is a gateway drug and comparatively says "whats next…coke"….get real…Marijuana is not a drug. It is a plant and it can be used effectively for medical purposes and recreationally for MATURE adults. Any mature adult knows how to use this drug recreationally and there are always going to be knuckleheads who abuse other drugs including marijuana. There is already a black market and there always will be. Lets legalize marijuana for recreational purposes so the people who do consume responsibly can enjoy a healthy FDA approved version so theres no worry about lacing with fentanyl or anything else that has already killed enough people…good people!
Weed is not a gateway drug, foh
The people have spoken.
Time to end this prohibition
Under present law,you must go to a doctor who specializes in marijuana(4hour seminar).$200 to ok your $50 license.I called UPMC,my health carrier and they will not allow me to go to my pcp $5,since they do not recognize marijuana as a drug.$250 and you never even got a drug from an inflated dispensary yet.Back to the street!
We need a device that can detect Cannabis in your system during the 4 hour time you are high.
psychosis
POSTED MARCH 07, 2011, 11:03 AM , UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, 2011, 2:28 PM

Ann MacDonald
Contributor, Harvard Health
Teenagers and young adults who use marijuana may be messing with their heads in ways they don’t intend.
Evidence is mounting that regular marijuana use increases the chance that a teenager will develop psychosis, a pattern of unusual thoughts or perceptions, such as believing the television is transmitting secret messages. It also increases the risk of developing schizophrenia, a disabling brain disorder that not only causes psychosis, but also problems concentrating and loss of emotional expression.
In one recent study that followed nearly 2,000 teenagers as they became young adults, young people who smoked marijuana at least five times were twice as likely to have developed psychosis over the next 10 years as those who didn’t smoke pot.
Another new paper concluded that early marijuana use could actually hasten the onset of psychosis by three years. Those most at risk are youths who already have a mother, father, or sibling with schizophrenia or some other psychotic disorder.
Young people with a parent or sibling affected by psychosis have a roughly one in 10 chance of developing the condition themselves—even if they never smoke pot. Regular marijuana use, however, doubles their risk—to a one in five chance of becoming psychotic.
In comparison, youths in families unaffected by psychosis have a 7 in 1,000 chance of developing it. If they smoke pot regularly, the risk doubles, to 14 in 1,000.
For years, now, experts have been sounding the alarm about a possible link between marijuana use and psychosis. One of the best-known studies followed nearly 50,000 young Swedish soldiers for 15 years. Those who had smoked marijuana at least once were more than twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as those who had never smoked pot. The heaviest users (who said they used marijuana more than 50 times) were six times as likely to develop schizophrenia as the nonsmokers.
So far, this research shows only an association between smoking pot and developing psychosis or schizophrenia later on. That’s not the same thing as saying that marijuana causes psychosis.
This is how research works. Years ago, scientists first noted an association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Only later were they able to figure out exactly how cigarette smoke damaged the lungs and other parts of the body, causing cancer and other diseases.
The research on marijuana and the brain is at a much earlier stage. We do know that THC, one of the active compounds in marijuana, stimulates the brain and triggers other chemical reactions that contribute to the drug’s psychological and physical effects.
But it’s not clear how marijuana use might lead to psychosis. One theory is that marijuana may interfere with normal brain development during the teenage years and young adulthood.
The teenage brain is still a work in progress. Between the teen years and the mid-20s, areas of the brain responsible for judgment and problem solving are still making connections with the emotional centers of the brain. Smoking marijuana may derail this process and so increase a young person’s vulnerability to psychotic thinking. (You can read more about how the adolescent brain develops in this article from the Harvard Mental Health Letter.)
While the research on marijuana and the mind has not yet connected all the dots, these new studies provide one more reason to caution young people against using marijuana—especially if they have a family member affected by schizophrenia or some other psychotic disorder. Although it may be a tough concept to explain to a teenager, the reward of a short-time high isn’t worth the long-term risk of psychosis or a disabling disorder like schizophrenia.
Do not make it like the PA lottery or your casinos…no one will stop going black market…your casinos are awful….their take is sadistic …then they tax….jesus christ…find a bookie…these casinos are mafia run or what? Their payouts are insulting.
Legalize it! Pay teachers more! Allow for mom and pops to apply for Business licenses at a reasonable cost that the average person can afford and not just wealthy corporations and conglomerates can only afford. six plants for personal use because growing is therapy I have many veteran brothers and sisters that could benefit from such therapy. Not everyone can have a serves animal in there lives. I found it's more stressful having a serves animal for my ptsd then it is having a couple spider plants on the front porch. Please help save my brothers and sisters lives already. Let the new bill pass I beg you
Why are we seriously still debating!? Its not man made it's a plant that you can grow and that it has no additives to it! Cocaine man made as well as other drugs! I'm all for legalization it would help so much and people wouldn't feel a need to sneak around and hide alcohol was illegal however many years ago but now it's legal but only to people who are of the age 21 but alcohol kills it has so many negative health benefits as well as other drugs but if marijuana is controlled in a positive way you wouldn't have to worry about the crimes that are so called being made…. but all in all marijuana would be like alcohol you are to 21 to use…
I think Pennsylvania is going about this correct way…gather data, look at it, and make a decision based on your results. I am fully for the legalization of marijuana for the following reasons:
1. There is no LD (lethal dosage) associate with Marijuana.
2. Its been used for thousands of years by many cultures.
3. There is a peaceful culture now associated with it. And those that make it demonized is happening only because the current system has people move towards those street dealers and not approved vendors.
4. If it is regulated like beer, wine, spirits and manufactured according to the FDA and GMP Practices, then access to it and the education involved in it will only benefit the user.
5. The government should not be telling us what to do with our bodies.
6. You cannot become physically addicted to the substance (anything can be addictive…so this to me isn't a valid reason against marijuana).
7. It has aided those with physical ailments as well as increasing someone's mental health if used for that reason.
8. It doesn't alter your ability to be an empathetic, sympathetic, and compassionate person. You can have a fully involved and intellectual conversation while under the influence. I cannot stress enough that if you are a lazy, uninspired, violent person, you will be that way regardless if you are using marijuana or not.
Why we still having the conversation, legalize it already! It is not up to the government to restrict our freedoms, it is there to ensure them.
Legalize it!
Yes it should