Pennsylvania (PA)

[Paradoxic]

Bill Info: S769; H1194; H2037
Current Status: Referred to Judiciary Committee (S769: April 6, 2009; H1194: April 3, 2009; H2037: October 9, 2009)
Classification: Schedule I
Bill Text: S769; H1194; H2037
Main Sponsors:
   - S769: Senator Boscoloa
   - H1194: Representative Swanger
   - H2037: Representative Casorio
Contact State Representatives:
   - House of Representatives
   - Senate
External Links: Wikipedia | Erowid
Action Leader: N/A  (to apply please post a reply to this topic)


Details
This year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has introduced H1194 and its companion S769; later H2037 was introduced on October 2, 2009, which would make S. divinorum, salvinorin A, and "divinorin" A all schedule I substances.

Take Action
Send letters to state representatives

• Modified version of Daniel Siebert's letter: View template or Download it in RTF format
• If you sent a letter to a representative in this state post it and it will be added here.

Attend public hearing
This is the most effective way to take action against a ban. If you know about an upcoming date for a hearing please post it and it will be added here. You can search the state web sites to look for public hearing dates.
*Please post any public hearing dates you know of

Suggested key points:

• Salvia is not a problem: No emergency room admittances, no drug counseling or addiction services admittances, no salvia related crime being reported by LEO, no superintendents speaking out against it. No deaths, and poison control rates it as a very low priority. Salvia has been around for a couple decades, or at least as long as the current meth plague--if salvia was going to be a widespread problem, it would have been by now.
• Medicinal and/or scientific potential
• Salvia is NOT a recreational substance and cannot be grouped with LSD, mushrooms, ecstasy, marijuana, etc. (ex: not addictive, short-acting, non-toxic, unappealing/unpleasant as a recreational substance)
• Religious use. History dating back thousands of years of indigenous use and decades of contemporary spiritual use. Without apparent harm or addictive tendencies.
• Arguments against rest almost exclusively on hearsay: unsubstantiated internet videos (search on alcohol and compare the number of videos), and the marketing claims of unscrupulous sellers.
• Suggest age restriction instead of an outright ban (give examples of this being done in Maine and California)

*Please suggest other tips/links

Public hearing tips:

• Good resource: http://www.ctkidslink.org/action_howtestify.html#anchor368848
• Do research in your own state. Go the your state DEA or Office of Substance Abuse website and dig around a bit. Find out how much it costs to arrest, prosecute, and jail per person for drugs crimes and include that figure in your arguments against a ban. The ME financial report associated with a ban indicated minimal fiscal impact, but using their own reported figures, it turns out that it costs near $60,000 for each successful drug crime prosecution.

*Please suggest other tips/links

Discourage irresponsible sale
Visit your local smoke shops or send them letters to encourage them not to sell Salvia divinorum to minors and include safety information about using Salvia divinorum. You can print out a User Guide (or part of it) to give to them.

Spread the word: Send this page to a friend


*Please post a reply if you have any additions or updates for this page.
*Please post about any action you are taking in this state.

[gunner13]

Pennsylvania has a bill submitted late February 2009, House Bill 559, sponsored by Representative Karen Beyer, making S. divinorum a Schedule I controlled substance.  There is no mention of salvinorin A in this bill.

[Yossaria]

Thanks for the heads-up!  I will update this forum.  Genius +.

[gunner13]

Thanks for the heads-up!  I will update this forum.  Genius +.

You're welcome.  Here's the text of a physical letter I received from Senator Wayne D. Fontana's office.  This is what were facing....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your recent letter to me opposing the legislation being introduced to prohibit the sale of Salvia divinorum. I appreciate you weighing in on this issue and noted your position.

This legislation was previously introduced by Senator Boscola and is being re-introduced during this session.  According to the co-sponsorship memo circulated by her office, the drug has been reported to have the hallucinogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).  In Delaware, the family of a teenager who committed suicide after using the hallucinogen is working to ban its sale.  The states of New York and Missouri have also been attempting to crack down on the sale of this drug.  While I have agreed to co-sponsor this legislation, I have done so in order to discuss this issue and what middle ground there may be for those individuals who are actually using this drug for medicinal purposes rather than the hallucinogenic effects.

Again, thank you for your email.  I look forward to further communication with you on this and other issues that are of interest and importance to you.

Sincerely,

(signed)

Wayne D. Fontana
State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District

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That's it, word for word.  Not only is the comparison to LSD vacuous and ridiculous, I can only express extreme doubt as to the causal relationship between Salvia and suicide.  Besides, I didn't  send him an email, but an actual letter.  This kind of ignorance reminds me of the 'Reefer Madness' stuff of the 1920s -1930s.   We really need to fight NOW!

[gunner13]

Two recent bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania to again make S. divinorum a Schedule I substance.

Senator Lisa Boscola introduced Senate Bill 769 on April 6, 2009, and shortly prior to that Representative RoseMarie Swanger introduced House Bill House Bill 1194.  I would post the links to the text of the bills, but they're exactly the same as the above mentioned House Bill 559 from February.  I wrote to Rep. Swanger, giving her common-sense reasons for regulation rather than control, but received only a curt reply stating that she stands by her decision.  If you would like to read my reply to her, there's an excerpt on my website under the Diviner's Sage link.  The URL is http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeto2k2/index.html   Any feedback would be appreciated!

G13

[Yossaria]

Very cool. Thanks for the update  . I've updated the main Pennsylvania page.

[gunner13]

I hate to say it, but it's time to update the Pennsylvania section again.  House Bill 2037 has been introduced and is being kicked around by the judiciary.  We need another round of letters.  All help would be appreciated.  

Rather than take up the space here, the following link contains everything you need to know, including downloads of the bill in various formats, which of course contains the names of the sponsors of the bill:


http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?&syear=2009&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2037

The prime sponsor is James E. Casorio (D) Westmoreland County

salvinorin A and divinorin A are specifically mentioned in this bill

[Yossaria]

Thanks for the head up, once again.  Genius + for all your help.  I'm working on updating the main post of the Pennsylvania page, and hopefully I can can get my template letter I used in Arizona up on the site as well as a more general one, although the letter(s) may take a bit longer.

[gunner13]

Thus far, this bill looks very much like it has a chance of passing.  The local media in Pittsburgh have been replaying all the old fear-mongering stories (i.e. leads to suicide, is stronger than LSD, etc.) in an attempt to help push it through.  We need to go on the attack NOW.

Thanks for all you do!

   

[Yossaria]

Ok - the main PA page has been updated.  The media certainly has an influence on legislators and citizens (especially all the false shock-and-awe statements they make), but at least no action has been taken on this bill in a little over a month.  Definitely still a good time to send in letters!

[gunner13]

For sure, now is the time to write.  Pennsylvania was over 100 days late in submitting their budget for the fiscal year.  I wonder if anyone submitting a bill to outlaw S. divinorum has comsidered the economic consequences (a point I try to make in my communications with them) of such an act.

Again, thanks for all your help!

[Yossaria]

Quick update - on December 9, HB2037 was "laid on the table"...I'm not sure quite what this means, but I'm guessing it is know being considered with possible voting later on in the Judiciary committee.

I'll update the main post in a bit.

[gunner13]

The bill has passed.  It's now in appropriations.  In other words, it's all over but the shouting.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/RCC/PUBLIC/listVoteSummaryH.cfm?sYear=2009&sInd=0&cteeCde=24&theDate=12/09/2009&rNbr=1352

Once it gets through appropriations, and the Governor signs it, it will go into effect sixty days later. 

Our last hope is to write Governor Ed Rendell and appeal to him not to sign it.  He has shot down other, unrelated legislation, so there's still a chance that something can be done.

[Yossaria]

For sure.  I'll send a bill-specific version of my letter to the governor, although I'm not sure how much of an impact it will have since I'm not a Pennsylvania resident.

[gunner13]

Every little bit helps.  I have several people here in the Commonwealth (we won't even get into the irony of that phrase) writing to Gov. Rendell, as am I.  The more the better.  I'm disheartened, angry, but not defeated--yet.