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Photo: Lara Brenckle/The Patriot-News
Supporters of the movement to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania rallied on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg in July 2009.

​On Thursday, four state senators in Pennsylvania introduced Senate Bill 1003, which would legalize the medicinal use of cannabis in the Keystone State.

According to an unofficial PDF of the bill viewed by Randy LoBasso at PhillyNow (the official bill has not been made public), it would provide for “the medical use of marijuana; and repealing provisions of the law that prohibit and penalize marijuana use.”
The bill’s language contends there are several reasons why this needs to happen now: first of all, modern medical research “has discovered a beneficial use for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain” or symptoms caused by certain medical conditions. Secondly, 99 percent of  all marijuana arrests are made under state, not federal law. And thirdly, 15 other states have already enacted such policies “for the health and welfare benefits of their citizens.”