Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program Has Expanded After Anxiety was Added as A Qualifying Conditions, Study Shows – MEDCAN24

According to a recent study, anxiety is the most common health condition treated by Pennsylvania medical marijuana patients.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Department of Health analyzed trends for more than 1,7 million certifications of medical cannabis from November 2017 through December 2023.

This study was published by Annals of Internal Medicine and found that out of 1.6 millions registered patients, about 1,6 million were prescribed medical marijuana to treat anxiety disorders.

91,759 patients received certifications of cannabis for chronic pain. 21,671 people were certified for posttraumatic stress disorder.

The study’s authors reported that “we found adding anxiety disorders to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania has been associated with an increase in overall certifications. Anxiety disorders have rapidly become the most prevalent qualifying condition and account for 60.26 per cent of all certifications ever since the addition” was made in July 2019.

They said that although certifications of chronic pain, PTSD and anxiety increased in number, they decreased the proportion of certifications overall using these conditions by about one-third after adding anxiety.

According to the researchers, the increase in anxiety related recommendations may be due to stress from the coronavirus epidemic.

The study shows that adding anxiety as an additional qualifying condition can affect the total number of cannabis certificates and the distributions of the qualifying conditions. These results are only applicable to Pennsylvania. Our analysis was based on Pennsylvania data because, as far as we know, it’s the only state that released data at certification level for medical cannabis conditions.

This study states that although Pennsylvania is the state with the largest medical marijuana program, the findings are not necessarily applicable to all other states. Further, data are not included for patients, which makes it difficult to analyze differences and recertifications.

Coleman Drake, an associate professor at Pitt’s School of Public Health, caveated in a statement that adding anxiety to the state’s medical cannabis program “may inadvertently signal to patients that cannabis is effective for treating it, despite the lack of evidence, which is concerning.”

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The Pennsylvania legislature has been debating for years whether or not to legalize marijuana use by adults, like most states in its vicinity.

Last week, bipartisan Pennsylvania Senators introduced a Bill to create a regulatory agency in the State that will oversee medical cannabis and prepare to handle adult use as well.

Dan Laughlin, a Republican senator from Pennsylvania, is one of 16 members who are sponsoring the 52-page bill. Although it does not allow adult-use of cannabis, the main sponsor supports it. It would however establish a regulatory framework that could oversee such a programme.

Laughlin, who has sponsored legalization bills in the past, previewed the new measure in May, writing that Pennsylvania should first take steps to make sure the state is “ready to act when legalization becomes law” by establishing a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) now.

Meanwhile, Sen. Shariff Street (D), one of the original cosponsors of the new bill, said last month that he was working with bipartisan and bicameral lawmakers to develop a passable marijuana legalization measure as the legislature approached its budget deadline—telling supporters at the time that “we’re getting close” and they shouldn’t “ease up” on the fight.

Street thanked his bipartisan colleagues in the House—including Reps. Emily Kinkead (D), Abby Major (R) and Amen Brown (D), who have championed their own legalization proposals—for working with the Senate “in a collaborative way.”

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) recently said marijuana legalization would not be included in the 2026 budget as lawmakers approached the deadline he expected they would miss. However, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from New York City, still holds out the hope that negotiations can be “done.”

This session, it remains to see if Pennsylvania’s legislators are going to advance the legalization of marijuana. But two Democratic lawmakers—Street and Rep. Rick Krajewski (D)—recently said they’re aiming to reach a compromise and pass reform legislation before the budget deadline.

Also, in May, Sen. Marty Flynn (D) announced his intent to file a new bill to legalize marijuana in the state, calling on colleagues to join him on the measure.

Street expressed his “cautious optimism” about the possibility of reviving the House legislation Krajewski co-sponsored with Rep. Dan Frankel, (D), after it was expeditedly passed through the House according to party lines. Street added that they are working on a product which will allow them to put a bill before the Governor and generate revenue.

Following the Senate committee vote, lawmakers from both chambers who support legalization have been trading criticisms about each other’s roles in the stalled push to end prohibition.

Krajewski, for example, recently wrote in a MEDCAN24 op-ed that Senate Republicans who killed his House-passed cannabis legalization bill are “stuck in their prohibitionist views of the past” and are “out of touch with the will of our Commonwealth.”

Prior to that vote, Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general said that while he doesn’t currently support the House-passed marijuana legalization bill, he’s open to changing his mind about the policy change after continuing to review the details.

For what it’s worth, a recent poll found that Pennsylvania voters say they favor a model where cannabis is sold by licensed private businesses, rather than through a system of state-run stores.

Governor has repeatedly called for legalizing marijuana use by adults. He has not endorsed a specific state-controlled marijuana model.

GOP lawmaker Major—who is sponsoring another forthcoming legalization bill that envisions a traditional private sales model alongside Democrat Kinkead—said during the House floor debate on HB 1200 that she stands opposed to the competing bill, emphasizing that she disagrees with the state-run stores proposal.

To effect change, Democrats will need to work with the GOP controlled Senate even though they control the House of Representatives and the Governor’s office. This political dynamic, in conjunction with the divergent perspectives of pro-legalization politicians, is another possible barrier to change.

Regardless of which direction Pennsylvania lawmakers do—or don’t—go on marijuana legalization this session, a survey released in April shows a majority of adults in the state support the reform—and opposition to the policy change has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the last decade.

Kinkead has made the case in another recent interview that legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania will help the state mitigate public health and safety concerns associated with the illicit market, including the fact that unregulated products can be laced with fentanyl.

The lawmaker previously introduced a separate bipartisan marijuana legalization bill, alongside 15 other cosponsors, last September. However, it did not move forward.

Meanwhile, Laughlin recently called for the creation of a state “legacy” fund, using tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales and gaming to make long-term investments in the Commonwealth’s economy.

The Senator said that instead of using the tax money to pay for day-to-day services and projects, the State should set aside some of it for “a source of sustainable prosperity for future generations.”

Another GOP Pennsylvania senator, Sen. Gene Yaw (R), is backing the push to legalize marijuana in the commonwealth, pointing out that, historically, prohibition “has not turned out well,” noting the country’s experience with alcohol criminalization.

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) recently said that Democrats are ready to pass a marijuana legalization bill this session, but that the party “will need Republican support” to get the job done—adding that it will be a “heavy lift.”

Most polls show that legalization is supported by both Republicans and Democrats, yet the legislation has been slowed down in recent years, due in part to GOP resistance. But not all Republican members are against the policy change—and one recently said she felt her party should seize the “opportunity to snatch” the issue from Democrats.

Separately in March, the Pennsylvania House approved a bill sponsored by Frankel that’s meant to strengthen safety standards and oversight of the state’s medical marijuana program as lawmakers work to advance adult-use legalization.

Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program has been in place for nearly 10 years. However, legislators say that the bill, now headed to the Senate to be voted on, will improve compliance with testing, audits of products, and laboratory inspections amongst other industry aspects.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would allow farmers and other small agriculture operators to sell marijuana they cultivate to existing growers and and processors if the state moves to legalize adult-use cannabis.

Separately, an independent Pennsylvania agency is projecting more tax dollars to be generated from adult-use marijuana sales compared to what the governor’s office has estimated, although it expects significantly less overall revenue from cannabis legalization due to differing views on licensing fees.

Pennsylvania officials also have launched a survey inviting legal marijuana businesses in the United States to share information on their business operations. This will help Pennsylvania better understand the cannabis market as legislators consider adult-use legalization during this legislative session.

Also, in a video interview released in March, the governor emphasized that the state is “losing out” to others that have already enacted adult-use legalization, while maintaining a policy that’s enriched the illicit market.

“I believe it is an issue of freedom, and I support that.” He said that if people want to smoke they should have the option to do it in a way that is safe and legal. “We should shut down the black market—and, by the way, every state around us is doing it. Pennsylvanians pay their taxes and drive into other states.

The state’s agriculture secretary separately told lawmakers that he’s fully confident that his department is in a “really good” position to oversee an adult-use marijuana program if lawmakers act.

Meanwhile, in February, top Pennsylvania police and health officials told lawmakers they are prepared to implement marijuana legalization if the legislature moves forward with the reform—and that they stand ready to work together as the details of legislation to achieve it are crafted.

Amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, a GOP state senator said prohibition has been a “disaster,” and a regulated sales model for cannabis—similar to how alcohol and tobacco are handled—could serve as an effective alternative.

A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently defended the push to legalize and regulate marijuana, calling it “the most conservative stance” on the issue.