More than 4% of Pennsylvanians, about 550,000 people, are qualified by the state government to use marijuana to treat pain, anxiety disorders, epilepsy and — unlike in many other states that allow medical marijuana use — opioid use disorder.
The program clearly is a matter of public interest. It is strictly regulated by the state government, and it touches on important public policy ranging from public health to state tax revenue.
Yet the Wolf administration remains strangely addicted to secrecy regarding at least one element of the program — the number of people who have been qualified to use marijuana to treat opioid addiction.
That use is controversial. Even though many people who have been addicted to opioids have testified that marijuana has helped them recover, there is scant scientific evidence that marijuana is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder.
When the news organization Spotlight PA asked the state Department of Health for data on the number of people authorized to use marijuana to treat opioid addiction, the department refused even though such data obviously is public information. Spotlight PA won its appeal to the state Office of Open Records, which directed the department to release the information, but the administration appealed to Commonwealth Court. The appeal hearing is scheduled for later this month.
In maintaining secrecy, the department contended that state law requires it to maintain the privacy of authorized marijuana users. So it does. But Spotlight PA asked only for aggregate data regarding the number of authorized users for each category. It made clear in its request and in the department’s appeals that it does not seek access to any individual identities or records.
The state’s stance contradicts its own previous conduct. It previously had released data on anxiety treatment. And in August, it released data on the numbers of qualified users in each county. (Lackawanna, 12,531; Luzerne, 15,844; Monroe, 6,702; Pike, 3,018; Susquehanna, 1,831; Wayne, 2,521; Wyoming, 1,713.)
Regardless of the data’s potential impact on the debate over whether pot should be a qualified treatment for opioid use disorder, the data is public property. The administration should withdraw its appeal and release the information.
— Scranton Times-Tribune via AP
