Four make case for medical marijuana

NORTHUMBERLAND — He was about 80 miles north of his home district, but state Sen. Mike Folmer of Lebanon, co-sponsor of the state medical marijuana bill, seemed right at home in Northumberland Monday night, talking passionately about legalizing medical pot in Pennsylvania.

“I’m trying to educate my fellow colleagues more,” said Folmer, R-48 Lebanon City, who was co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1182 with state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, of the legislation that would legalize marijuana use for seriously ill patients to treat their conditions.

The state Senate approved the bill, but not without paring down who among the ill could use medical pot. But the bill, even in its new version, didn’t make it out of the state House before session’s end.

“We knew we had the votes,” Folmer said, “and we will do this.” The bill will be back come January, to be known as Senate Bill 3, he said.

Folmer was among four speakers at “The Case for Medical Marijuana,” a free public forum hosted by Susquehanna Valley Progressives at Front Street Station in Northumberland.

Along with Folmer, also speaking was Cristy Harding, the Turbotville ER nurse and mother of Jason, 14, who has a severe seizure disorder called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome that would respond to medical marijuana.

Harding’s portion was a myth vs. fact presentation of what medical marijuana can and can’t do. For instance, the assertion that marijuana is addictive is silly, she said, when Jason takes addictive clonazepam, a benzodiazepine drug, or “benzo,” for his seizures.

“He’s been on it eight years,” Harding said. “He is addicted,” and wondered what “the last thousand seizures have done to his brain.”

“People are worried (medical marijuana) will be abused,” she said. “Prescription drugs are abused now. I don’t think that’s a reason to keep it from my son.”

Folmer credited “mamma bears” like Harding and fellow speaker Lolly Bentch Myers, co-founder of Campaign 4 Compassion who has a 4-year-old daughter whose seizures have left her dysfunctional. Myers was one of the first proponents to visit Folmer on the subject, he said.

“I don’t know how to explain what it’s like to watch your child die,” Myers said. “Most days, she is robbed of the life skills she has.”

Myers noted no medical marijuana advocates “decided let’s stick it to the man today. We have no more choices,” adding that conventional medical avenues now are closed to them; they’ve tried everything.

Also speaking was Dr. Arno Vosk, a retired emergency medicine physician from Williamsport. He said marijuana is not a totally benign drug, but many conditions treated with medical marijuana “are treated now with acceptable medications with horrible side effects.”

While Folmer is confident the new bill will make it into law next year, Harding said the wait just puts Jason back even more. Jason has an oxygen machine and mask next to his bed.

“He stops breathing” during some seizures, Harding said. “He turns blue. I just hope one of the last times isn’t this year.”

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Four make case for medical marijuana