[JURIST] The Pennsylvania State Senate [official website] approved legislation Thursday that would legalize several forms of medical marijuana. Senate Bill 1182 [legislative documents], proposed by state senator Daylin Leach [official website], passed with strong support 43-7 [Senate Roll Call] and will now proceed to the State House of Representatives. The bill calls for the creation of a State Board of Medical Cannabis Licensing, which would oversee a limited number of medical marijuana growers, processors and dispensers who would be subject to licensing fees, random inspections and zoning requirements. The bill is expected to face opposition from Governor Tom Corbett [official website], who has proposed a limited research pilot program [Post-Gazette report] but has indicated [ABC news report] that he would veto SB 1182 if it reaches his desk. The bill, if passed by the House of Representatives, would legalize a number of marijuana delivery methods, notably excluding smoking

The use of marijuana for medical purposes [JURIST backgrounder] has garnered more legal support [Marijuana Policy Project website] in the US in recent months. In July US Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) [official website] introduced a bill [JURIST report] to nationally legalize cannabidiol (CBD) oil, or marijuana extract, which has been shown to treat seizures in children suffering from epilepsy. Also in July New York Governor Andrew Cuomo [official website] signed [JURIST report] the Compassionate Care Act into law, making New York the twenty-third state to legalize medical marijuana. In June Florida Governor Rick Scott [official website] signed [JURIST report] a bill allowing a non-euphoric strain of marijuana to be used for the treatment of epilepsy, cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Minnesota lawmakers in May approved a bill [JURIST report] legalizing medical marijuana in pill or liquid form for a limited number of patients who suffer from severe or fatal illnesses.