Another Pa. Republican Supports Medical Marijuana

Rep. Mike Vereb says he's changed his mind.

Newsworks reports that Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, has come out in favor of medical marijuana — an about-face he said came as the result of seeing footage of seizure-stricken children improving with the drug.

“As a father of three, I cannot simply look into the eyes of these kids and see that suffering without wanting to help,” said Vereb, whose official title is House GOP caucus secretary, though he’s been known to act as majority whip on at least one major initiative this session.

“I’m not going to go into this with a sledgehammer approach,” said Vereb. “I learned what I learned and come to the conclusion I come. That doesn’t mean the entire House Republican caucus is going to flip.”

Support for legalizing medical marijuana has grown in Harrisburg, but it’s not known if the momentum can lead to the passage of a bill before the end of this year’s legislative session.