Pennsylvania becomes the latest state to legalize medical marijuana
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On Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed a bill legalizing medical marijuana, calling it a "great day for Pennsylvanians."
Pennsylvania is now the 24th state to approve a comprehensive medical marijuana program, and residents with serious medical conditions will be able to take prescriptions from their doctor to approved dispensaries. Republicans and Democrats worked together on the bill, and the governor said both sides agreed it was important to "have the ability to have that doctor make a decision in conjunction with his or her patient that will make that patient's life better."
The state's Department of Health could authorize up to 150 dispensaries, and it is expected to take 18 to 24 months before the program is fully up and running, WPVI reports. Initially, only pills, creams, and oils that can be used in a vapor will be legal, and smoking will be prohibited.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
