The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved a bill meant to strengthen safety standards and oversight of the state's medical marijuana program as lawmakers separately work to advance adult-use legalization.
On Monday, the chamber passed the medical cannabis legislation from House Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel (D), a key advocate for marijuana reform in the legislature, in a 194-8 vote.
While Pennsylvania's medical cannabis program was enacted nearly a decade ago, lawmakers say the new measure, which now heads to the Senate, is necessary to improve testing compliance, product audits and lab inspections, among other aspects of the industry.
"This legislation will help ensure that testing labs remain independent, transparent and accountable, so that we can prevent the types of issues that have undermined patient trust in other states," Frankel said in a press release on Monday.
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