Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Frankel bill to boost oversight of medical marijuana testing clears House Health Committee

Frankel bill to boost oversight of medical marijuana testing clears House Health Committee

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 29 – State Rep. Dan Frankel’s bill to bolster safety and confidence in the commonwealth’s medical marijuana products won bipartisan approval from the House Health Committee Wednesday, paving the way for stronger patient protections overseen by the Department of Health.

Frankel, who is majority chairman of the House Health Committee, said weaknesses in consumer protections were revealed in a series of hearings held by the Health Committee in the previous session, and by incidences of contamination, inaccurate labeling and deceptive practices in other states.

“We need to make sure that patients have the same level of confidence in medical marijuana products as they do in the prescriptions that they fill at their local pharmacies,” Frankel said. “Patients deserve to know that these products are what they say they are in terms of THC levels and that they are uncontaminated by mold, pesticides or heavy metals.”

House Bill 33 would provide for improved compliance testing, product audits, statistical analyses, transparency and inspections of labs, which serve as the last line of defense to prevent patients from unknowingly consuming substances that can have both immediate and long-term health consequences.

The bill would direct the Department of Health to ensure that labs report accurate results and would also require stability testing in some circumstances to ensure the products’ potency and purity over time. 

The bill was amended in committee to incorporate legislation from state Rep. Tim Twardzik, R-Schuylkill, to increase the department’s oversight of physicians who certify patients for the program.

“Our shared priority must always be the health and well-being of patients,” said Twardzik. “By increasing oversight of physicians participating in the program, we can help ensure that medical marijuana is utilized appropriately and responsibly, giving patients and their families confidence in the care they receive.  I want to thank Chairman Frankel for his collaboration in adding my amendment to his bill.”

The Health Committee also approved a bill Wednesday by Rep. Tarik Khan to ensure operating rooms use surgical smoke evacuation systems to combat the adverse health effects of surgical smoke.