The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Lebanon County policy that banned the use of medical marijuana by those on probation or parole, even if they have a state-issued identification card authorizing them to do so. The unanimous decision was handed down by the court on Thursday morning and applies to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

As protests and civil unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police continue in cities across the country, cannabis dispensaries from coast to coast have been the target of looters and organized thieves.

A person on probation for a past offense who legally obtains a medical marijuana card shouldn’t be held to varying standards for using the card depending on what county he or she resides in. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court should not allow individual counties to establish their own rules regarding medical marijuana use by probationers.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union asked the state Supreme Court to declare illegal a policy enacted in Lebanon County that prohibits those on probation from using marijuana, even though they hold a medical card. The ACLU filed a King’s Bench request to quickly take up the case, and arguments were made May 19 via videoconference.

Though Republicans in Pennsylvania long opposed recreational marijuana, lawmakers have come around in order to fix sizable budget deficits.

The Tri-State area is among the U.S. regions most ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The United States has more than 1.6 million cases and nearly 100,000 deaths, according to reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But more than 500,000 cases and 45,000 deaths come from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania alone.

Multiple bills that would legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania are waiting on action in Pennsylvania's legislature.

A bill introduced by state senators Daylin Leach and Sharif Street in October 2019, Senate Bill 350, has made no progress from the Rural and Agricultural Affairs committee since last year.

Cannabis regulators across the country continue to react to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, with Oregon and Pennsylvania relaxing rules while storefront dispensaries were ordered closed in Nevada. The changes come as more states issue stay-at-home orders in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be making some changes to the medical marijuana program as a response to the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

A number of provisions for medical marijuana have been temporarily suspended, including ones that limit the number of patients a caregiver might have in order to provide someone with medical marijuana and another that eliminates background checks for caregiver applications, according to a press release from the Department of Health.

Cannabis legalization in Pennsylvania has both enjoyed the support of the governor and been subject to the reluctance of the state’s Republican legislators. On Tuesday, another push to regulate the drug was initiated when Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced House Bill 2050. 

Wheatley has proposed cannabis legalization in the past, including last year’s unsuccessful HB 50. Since then, the state’s lieutenant governor has embarked on a cannabis listening tour, and the governor has underlined his support for recreational marijuana legislation. 

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s 2020 hemp program began accepting applications from commercial growers and processors last week.

Last year, 324  farmers in the state planted just over 4,000 acres and the Department is hoping for an even busier season in 2020. In 2019, caps on the number of hemp permits and acreage were lifted.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s 2020 hemp program will begin accepting applications from both commercial growers and processors in the commonwealth tomorrow, January 4, 2020. This marks the second year for Pennsylvania’s commercial-scale growing program which builds on the department’s pilot research program that had a two-year run.