Across the United States, more and more places are approving marijuana for not just medical use, but also adult recreational use. This movement started with California in 1996 and has swept across the country in the intervening years. However, in Pennsylvania, marijuana legalization efforts have been slow to make progress. New legislation at the state level could change that soon, though, and this could lead to positive results for those struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Is marijuana legal in Pennsylvania?
Medical marijuana
In Pennsylvania, marijuana is only legal for individuals who need it for medical reasons. In order to qualify for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, a patient needs to have an approved medical condition, a valid state ID, and authorization from a physician. Covered conditions include:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Various terminal diseases
- Chronic pain
You’ll need to make an appointment with your practicing physician to verify that you have a qualifying condition, at which point you can register to receive a medical card issued by your doctor. Having a medical marijuana card allows Pennsylvania residents to visit any of the many state-run dispensaries to purchase their cannabis.
The laws that legalized medical marijuana in Pennsylvania were passed less than a decade ago in 2016, and it took about two years before the program went into full swing and the first medical dispensaries opened for business. In the first year after the dispensaries opened, Pennsylvania sold $57 million worth of medical marijuana products to patients with a medical marijuana card. That number has only increased in the years since. In 2021, the state sold $1.3 billion of marijuana, and 2023 saw $1.5 billion in sales. That number is likely to be even higher in 2024.
Recreational marijuana
Now, new legislation is being drafted that would legalize recreational marijuana for adult use, and proponents argue that it could inject another $1 billion into the state’s economy over the next five years through tax revenue, if approved. The bill, Pennsylvania HB 2210, would allow adults to purchase up to 30 grams of marijuana at a time from dispensaries, but it would bar homegrown marijuana with few exceptions. It would come with an 8% sales tax (paid by the customer) and a 5% excise tax (paid by the dispensary). This legislation would also introduce a clean slate program to expunge the criminal records of individuals charged with certain cannabis-related nonviolent crimes.
The bill still places some restrictions on marijuana use, however. It would allow employers in Pennsylvania to establish and maintain zero tolerance policies for marijuana use, and it would cap the potency of marijuana products that dispensaries sell. For marijuana flower, there would be a max THC concentration of 15%, and marijuana concentrates, such as for vaping, would be capped at 40% THC. Additionally, Pennsylvania HB 2210 would restrict sellers from marketing toward children, encouraging overconsumption, and advertising health benefits without proof.
Does marijuana legalization impact opioid use?
The potential benefits of statewide marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania are not just economic, either. Full recreational legalization could also be a major boon for various vulnerable communities in the state, including those experiencing the effects and fallout of the opioid epidemic. Since the late 1990s, prescription of medical opioids has increased dramatically, and with it has come a wave of addiction and overdose that has only grown. Hundreds of thousands of people have died of opioid overdoses since 1999, and nearly 85,000 people in the United States died from an opioid overdose in 2022 alone.
How does marijuana legalization impact this epidemic of drug-related deaths? Although research is still currently underway, there is a study that shows decreases in opioid use and opioid overdoses in states where medical marijuana is legal. However, this same study indicates that patient-level reports in the same states also show an increase in opioid use among cannabis users, as well as high rates of opioid-related deaths. Since this study contains mixed results, it’s clear that more research is required to learn whether there’s a concrete connection between marijuana use and opioid use.
Marijuana use is also linked to a decrease in opioid cravings. This means that people with opioid use disorder who also use THC products will be tempted to misuse opioids less frequently, leading to fewer overdoses and safer outcomes. Prescription opioids are most commonly given out by doctors as a pain management tool, but marijuana is also an effective pain reliever, so states with legalized marijuana also see lower prescription rates of opioids in the first place, leading to lower exposure and rates of addiction.
How Pennsylvania marijuana legalization could change the state
For opioid users in Pennsylvania, marijuana legalization could be a literal life saver. Access to recreational marijuana may decrease the number of opioid deaths the state sees, and overall opioid use numbers may shrink as well. Pennsylvania is one of the states most heavily impacted by the opioid epidemic, so marijuana legislation could serve as just one step forward in the difficult journey of ending the epidemic. Legalization also promises to bring more money into the state which could be funneled toward effective means of addressing the crisis, such as providing affordable housing, subsidizing rehab and opioid treatment clinics, and creating jobs.
While marijuana legalization certainly isn’t a silver bullet against the opioid epidemic, it seems clear that it’s a helpful step if nothing else.
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