The Medical Marijuana Act created the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board to help make recommendations concerning the legal use of medicinal cannabis. 
 
The Act further established a clinical research program to allow clinical registrants to work hand in glove with academic clinical research centers. This relationship is key to Pennsylvania’s goal of providing doctors with evidence-based cannabis research to make the best decisions for their patients. We must continue to encourage and strengthen this relationship.
 
For this reason, we will be reintroducing a resolution (formerly HR 217) urging the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board to encourage and facilitate PASSHE universities in obtaining United States Drug Enforcement Agency registrations to authorize the possession of cannabis for clinical registrants. This will ensure that, at the federal level, clinical registrants can continue to engage in hands-on work surrounding cannabis plants, which in turn aids our research universities and state physicians. 
 
The resolution will further urge the Board to address concerns universities may have in offering cannabis-related degree programs, including making explicit policies that protect students, staff and contractors from discrimination who are medical cannabis patients.
 
The Medical Marijuana Act passed in a bipartisan fashion. So should this resolution. It is time that we encourage the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board to take the necessary steps in helping our universities and their students, many of whom will one day be employed by the ever-expanding cannabis industry. 
 
Please join us in co-sponsoring this resolution.