Rabb reintroduces bill to remove DUI penalties for legal cannabis use
Bill would protect hundreds of thousands of unimpaired drivers
Rep. Christopher M. Rabb March 12, 2025 | 3:27 PM
HARRISBURG, March 12 – Because detectable traces of cannabis can linger in a person’s system for weeks after consumption, medical cannabis patients in Pennsylvania remain in danger of being wrongfully arrested and convicted of driving under the influence of cannabis without any proof of actual impairment.
A bill that would modernize Pennsylvania’s DUI laws – and bring it in line with other states – was introduced today by state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., to provide the state’s half-million medical cannabis patients the same rights as others who have legal prescriptions to scheduled medication.
“Nine years after legalizing medical cannabis for patients, we still have not addressed this fundamental flaw in our law, which could jail someone for driving weeks after taking their medication,” Rabb said. “Yet, we as a government are more than happy to cash in on the tax revenue generated by medical cannabis. It’s perverse but easily corrected. This legislation will set things right.”
Rabb said that while his legislation would protect medical cannabis patients, it would not extend to any illegal cannabis use — nor does it protect impaired drivers. It simply applies to patients who use medical cannabis legally — and are not impaired — the same as with any other prescription medication.
“I believe that people with a medical need for cannabis, who have acted courageously to seek help for their medical condition and have been granted use of medical cannabis, should be protected from DUI penalties for their legal medical cannabis use,” Rabb said. “I know I’m not the only lawmaker in the General Assembly who has been contacted by constituents concerned that their responsible use of medical cannabis may expose them to targeting by law enforcement when they drive.”
In an effort to uplift the voices of individuals who have been negatively impacted by the state’s existing zero-tolerance policies, Rabb is mobilizing Pennsylvanians who’ve been adversely affected by current law to publicly share their stories – and urging them to contact their state representatives to urge them to co-sponsor his bill (HB 878).
“A medical cannabis user can take a minuscule amount of medicine for their ailment and weeks later, with traces of cannabis still in their system, be subject to arrest on a DUI charge if pulled over — not because they’ve driven impaired, but because our state laws haven’t caught up with the science,” Rabb said. “It’s time for Pennsylvania to modernize its laws and protect patients who are doing nothing wrong.”
This is the fourth time Rabb has introduced this legislation. Last session, the bill won bipartisan support in the House Transportation Committee before the end of the term.