“We will stay there, we will sleep there, and these parents will care for their sick children there. If the governor forcibly chooses to remove sick children and the parents of those children, that is up to him. But we will not voluntarily leave,” said State Senator Daylin Leach (D) 17th District.
Senator Leach, along with a group of families announced a “sit-in” at Governor Tom Corbett’s office in the State Capitol, unless he agrees to a meeting. If Governor Corbett does not respond by Friday, the group said they will wait at his office until he agrees to meet with them.
Sen. Leach held a press conference Monday with families who he says will be directly impacted if Governor Tom Corbett would veto Senate Bill 1182, or The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act.
“We are asking him to agree to a meeting by May 2nd, that’s this Friday. The meeting itself does not have to be by May 2nd, but the phone call putting it on the calendar does,” said Sen. Leach at the press conference. “Me and the parents of these sick children, along with the children themselves, will gather in Governor Corbett’s office, and we will not voluntarily leave until a meeting is scheduled,” said Sen. Leach.
The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, sponsored by Leach and Folmer, would legalize the use of medical marijuana by patients as recommended by attending physicians. The bill has 13 co-sponsors.
Sen. Leach said he has enough votes for the bill to pass in the Senate. “The only thing standing between these sick children in Pennsylvania and their medicine, is Governor Tom Corbett, who has threatened to veto any bill which helps these sick kids,” said Sen. Leach.
Fox43 reached out to Governor Tom Corbett. His Press Secretary said the governor will continue to work with the FDA to find safe and effective treatments. “Mr. Leach knows how to schedule a meeting and that is through his office, not through holding a press conference,” said Jay Pagni, Press Secretary. “The governor has already met with families of sick children, and he will continue to do so.”