Now that it’s legal, what about research on med. marijuana?

(Harrisburg) — Governor Tom Wolf recently signed a bill making medical marijuana legal in Pennsylvania.

But some in the medical community point out rigorous scientific research on the drug isn’t ready.

There’s little research because, after all, the federal government still classifies marijuana as illegal.

In fact, one doctor who is looking into it says they had to put the drug into a safe that was bolted to the ground, and behind a double locked door, all to comply with federal rules.

Dr. Bonn-Miller is studying how cannabidiol, which comes from the marijuana plant, can affect P-T-S-D symptoms…

“Really the cart’s far before the horse and we’re trying to catch up from the research angle so we have a far better sense of things,” says Bonn-Miller.

Another doctor, Todd Barron, works at WellSpan Health in the midstate.

He’s involved in two studies about pharmaceutical-grade cannibidiol.

“We have a good number of children who have had at least a 50% reduction in seizures, we have 13 currently in the study and 2 or 3 of them are seizure free.”

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health is developing regulations for the commonwealth’s medical marijuana system.

“You know, almost half of the country has kinda led the way on this and while there are such vast differences in the programs across the country, we want to make sure we’re taking a look at best practices,” says Dr. Loren Robinson.

The agency will look at how other states have handled the issue.

People can use medical marijuana legally in Pennsylvania if it was obtained from another state.

Other northeastern states have struggled with medical marijuana – from a lack of interest by growers to confusing regulations and local laws blocking dispensaries.