WATCH: A free virtual Q&A on Pa.’s uneven rules for medical marijuana cards

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As Pennsylvania lawmakers planned the legislation that would create the state’s medical marijuana program in 2016, their fears of unscrupulous doctors who might exploit the program for profit led them to impose strict advertising prohibitions on physicians.

As a result, physicians can face penalties if they advertise their power to approve patients for cannabis.

But those restrictions only apply to doctors. The companies that connect patients to doctors for certifications do not face the same limits, a loophole that allows them to advertise on websites, airwaves, and discount sites like Groupon.

Doctors, lawyers, and even at least one certification company owner argue this loophole is unfair, and some advocates say it undermines trust in the marijuana program among patients. Now, as lawmakers in Harrisburg debate whether to legalize recreational cannabis, we’ll be looking at how Pa.’s advertising ban and other medical marijuana rules are affecting hundreds of thousands of patients across the state.

On June 14, Spotlight PA held a free Q&A on the rules and flaws of the state’s medical marijuana program. Watch the discussion below.

Our panelists were:

• Ed Mahon, investigative reporter

• MaryFrances Koester, a physician based in Lackawanna County

• Judith Cassel, an attorney who specializes in medical marijuana issues

• Shalawn James, member of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board

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