BCCC Hosts Educational Forum On Medical Marijuana

Dozens came out to a medical marijuana discussion Tuesday night in support of and out of curiosity.

The educational forum, which was held at Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus, was hosted by Campaign for Compassion and featured speeches from politicians and dignified panelists all of whom spoke on behalf of the use of medical marijuana.

The event, as well as the organization Campaign for Compassion, is spearheaded by Lower Bucks County native Dana Ulrich. Ulrich, now a resident of Berks County, became involved in the fight for medicinal cannabis nearly five years ago when her daughter Lorelei, now 7, was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy.

Lorelei suffered from approximately 1,400 seizures a day before having surgery to install a vagus nerve stimulator. The device, which acts like a pacemaker for the brain, helps to reboot Lorelei’s brain every three minutes for 30 seconds. The stimulator, while reducing her seizures in half, has not been the miracle worker the Ulrich family hoped for. Lorelei, who has tried over a dozen medications without success, may have one hope left, and that lasting hope currently sits in front of the PA State Senate.

Read Lorelei’s Story

PA Senator Michael Folmer (R-48) who was a guest on the panel Tuesday evening, has been the legislative entity pushing Senate Bill 3 forward. The informal, people-person Senator, called his journey to legislating for medical marijuana quite surprising and ironic. The religious, conservative, Republican Senator from Lebanon County said after being given information by Ulrich in support of medical marijuana- he spent his 2013 Thanksgiving holiday sifting through studies and evidence until 4:30 a.m.

For Folmer, the issue became much less scandalous and taboo once he realized marijuana had the ability to treat so many who were suffering, not just from epilepsy but from a variety of illnesses, including Glaucoma, cancer, Alzheimer’s, even PTSD. “It’s not about the high or recreation, its about compassionate access to a quality alternative,” Folmer said in front of an interested crowd Tuesday night.

While studies in other states have proven that medical marijuana can be useful to treat numerous conditions, it’s classification as a Schedule I narcotic in Pennsylvania limits it’s ability to be studied within the state borders. Other Schedule I narcotics include LSD and heroin. For PA Senator Chuck McIlhinney Jr. (R-10), the plant’s current classification in the state is “the big issue” when it comes to big pharma.

So while 23 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation for the medical use of the plant, those who wish to access it for medical purposes here are forced to do it sneakily – resulting in as State Rep. Tina Davis calls it, ill people venturing to dark alleys to access an unregulated substance from criminals.

Senate Bill 3 is the group’s hope to change all that.

While the 2013-2014 Senate session saw the passing of Senate Bill 1182, Ulrich and Folmer’s first at bat for legalization in PA, the bill was completely gutted by the time it passed. Senate Bill 3 hopes to fix everything that went wrong the first time, including to limit the conditions list to doctor’s discretion only.

Distinguished Doctor Jahan Marcu, who skyped in from Denver to speak at the event, said limiting the condition’s list to a person’s doctor is the way the bill can make the largest impact. “We can look to the District of Columbia, they are not letting politicians decide what diseases cannabis can be treated with,” he said.

According to McIlhinney and Folmer, it is the constituents job to speak to their legislators and demand exactly what they want from them.

“No government should stand between me and the medicine I want to take to fight for my life. It should just not happen. And you, ladies and gentleman, you as we the people should not allow your government to dictate what foods you can eat and what medicines you can take,” Folmer said.

While 85% are for the medicinal use of marijuana, as a group the panel collectively stated misconceptions are usually behind people’s reluctance.

State Rep. Tina Davis (D-141), who had to attend policy hearings and could not make the forum, sent her Chief of Staff Bryan Allen in her place. According to Allen, Davis believes that anyone still against the legalization of medical marijuana is “being guided by fear and misinformation”.

“It is fear of voter backlash and misinformation about the scientific evidence that exists, and those people are wrong on both accounts,” Allen read from Davis’ statement.

The panel, which took questions from the audience following their individual presentations, was otherwise hopeful that Pennsylvania will one day see the light in the case of medical marijuana.

“The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west if medical marijuana becomes legal in PA,” said Folmer. “My greatest fear is that one of these little ones is gonna die before I get this done.”

To find out more information, visit the Campaign for Compassion page here, and the Legalize for Lorelei page here.