I am writing in support of the medical marijuana bill that is expected to be reintroduced in this session of the legislature.

Pennsylvania politicians have been downplaying the support for medical marijuana for years. Sen. John Eichelberger recently affirmed his position, stating that, no matter the use, his constituents would not be in favor of the bill.

That is an absurd statement.

In a 2010 Franklin and Marshall College poll, 80 percent of Pennsylvania respondants indicated that they supported medical marijuana.

Why don’t our legislators support something nearly everyone supports? The AMA has endorsed medical use, the NAACP has endorsed it, and struggling Pennsylvania farmers would support the bill.

It’s getting really tough for farmers here, so why not provide them with a very profitable crop that benefits people with conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis,glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis,migraines, fibromyalgia and any form of pain?

The General Assembly should at least have the decency to bring this up for a vote instead of repeatedly killing these bills in committee.

Pennsylvanians deserve to know who is voting for what so they can hold their lawmakers accountable. Better yet, if they aren’t completely spineless, they will put it on the ballot for voters to decide. We can’t put stuff on the ballot by collecting signatures. Otherwise, this would have been a done deal by now.

Brandon Hoffmaster

Huntingdon