June 10, 2015
Montel Williams will be traveling to Harrisburg this week to lobby for the legalization of medical marijuana in the state. And yes, it is the Montel Williams you're thinking of.
The television host and retired Navy officer turned infomercial spokesman, who uses medical marijuana for multiple sclerosis, will first hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building, along with other patients who support the bill, according to The York Daily Record.
Williams will also be a part of a panel discussing Senate Bill 3, aka the Medical Cannabis Act, which passed the state senate and is awaiting action in the house.
CBS 21 in Harrisburg will air the panel discussion as a part of its "Your Voice, Your Future Town Hall" series on Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at the Central Penn College Conference Center located in the suburbs of Harrisburg.
Williams voiced his support of the bill in an editorial for PennLive on Tuesday, denouncing arguments that link the drug to crime and citing the medical benefits that it provides for those with a number of illnesses. He also condemned the state house's lack of action:
The House faces a simple choice, politically and morally. Will it stand with an overwhelming majority of voters and its sick and suffering constituents?
Or will it allow a few of members to sidestep the democratic process and hold up a vote? I hope Pennsylvania voters will stand up and demand a vote, and I'll be traveling to Harrisburg this week to make the case.
The main reason the bill has stalled in the house is due to the inactivity of state representative Matt Baker of Tioga County, who chairs the house's health committee. Baker controls whether the bill is even introduced in the house, and has expressed no intent to do so.
He doesn't want to legalize a drug not approved by the FDA and thinks the verdict is still out on the drug's effectiveness. Per Fox 43:
“It’s a serious drug and for people to try to say that it’s harmless, it just defies logic.”
Williams, conversely, has traveled to several states in support of medical marijuana, often discussing how its helped ease the symptoms of his disease. He even filmed a documentary in Missouri on the legislative fight for legalization.
You can live-stream the panel Thursday night on CBS 21's website here.
