Even with a Democratic majority in the state House and a governor who supports it, Pennsylvania remains one of the only states in the region to not have a legal recreational marijuana market.
Doreen Sando Cherenyock was on disability for many years. The Sugarloaf Township resident couldn’t work because of the pain she was dealing with due to her health.
But in February 2018, medical marijuana became available for Pennsylvania patients at dispensaries across the state. Former Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill legalizing access in 2016, providing long-overdue relief to people with serious medical conditions, like Cherenyock.
Cherenyock obtained her medical marijuana card and has since been able to return to work.
“Once [marijuana] was legalized medically, that’s what I went to,” Cherenyock said. “Because of that choice, I’ve been able to work now. I use it for pain management. It also has calming effects to help with anxiety and depression.”
To get a medical marijuana card in the commonwealth, residents must first create a profile in the Medical Marijuana Registry, then have an approved physician certify that they suffer from a qualifying medical condition. The cost of the card itself is $50, and must be renewed annually. Patients must also be re-approved annually by a certified physician, a process that ranges in price depending on the complexity of the medical condition.
Tracy Nagle of York has been a medical marijuana card holder…
