PA Senate GOP Fails to Bring SB1182 to a Vote

Despite bill's 85% support for medi-weed amongst residents and widespread bipartisan support

SOURCE: www.pittsburghnorml.org
POSTED BY: Steve

The Senate GOP Leadership has decided not bring SB1182 up for a vote before the summer recess. Many activists were hoping for a vote in the Pennsylvania Senate before the summer recess. People from all across the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvanian have been working in a grass roots effort to make this bill one of the best bills in country. People in this state don't have time to wait anymore. Parents and their sick children have waited long enough it's time to get this done!

With 85% support for medicinal marijuana amongst PA residents and the widespread bipartisan support for the bill we cannot understand why the GOP Senate leaders refuse to honor the will of the voters and of their own party. Time and time again the GOP have thwarted any attempts to pass a medical marijuana bill here in Pennsylvanian. Having the vote before summer recess would have eased the minds of parents with very sick children, now they have to wait thru the summer to find out the answer since Senator Pileggi and Senator Scarnati don't want to hold a vote before the summer recess. The GOP has once again manged to halt the medical marijuana process here in Pennsylvania.

We asked some supporters of the bill what they hard to say about the delay.

Jack Rice

"We will not be deterred by an indecisive state legislature. We will continue the fight, we will win the fight!"

Cara Salemme

"I'am incredibly saddened that although being assured this was not an R or D issue (it was a people issue) that the senate leaders put politics first with SB 1182, a bill that has the potential to change the lives of many Pennsylvanians including children that suffer from relentless seizures... the seizures don't wait for the Fall session to start again, but I pray every day that the "final" one for one of these kids does. Ignoring human suffering as a means to advance a n agenda is the biggest abuse of power I can imagine. Families of ill children and adults across Pennsylvania got lost in negotiations...maybe we didn't push hard enough, call enough or maybe we just truly didn't matter enough...our mistake"

Julie Michaels

"Politicians playing politics with Pennsylvanian's lives. Shameful!!!"

Tom Underwood

"There delaying and dragging there feet cause there's an election coming god forbid something gets in the way !!!"

Paula

"A two month delay could be a death sentence for patients who are waiting and most certainly ensures an abundance of needless suffering for Pennsylvania's sickest and most venerable. . It is unconscionable for politicians to be so dismissive of a strongly written bill that can give patients a quality of life. As they take another vacation, their constituents are left to endure the nightmare of symptoms they are living with."

Ryan Yeager

"While the Senate decides to take non action, my father-in-law lies in an ICU bed. His battle with cancer may be coming to an end, but there plenty more out there that need this compassionate treatment. As evidenced by an entirely full oncology wing at the hospital."