Key Takeaways
- Two Pennsylvania cannabis bills are advancing: one focuses on a regulatory framework for hemp, and the other allows terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis.
- The Pennsylvania Hemp and Cannabinoid Act aims to regulate consumable hemp products, requiring testing and age restrictions to protect minors.
- Ryan’s Law permits terminal patients to use non-smokable cannabis in healthcare facilities, enhancing pain management options without relying on opioids.
- Both bills move forward amid ongoing discussions about broader marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania.
- While Ryan’s Law has gained momentum, the hemp bill is still in its preliminary stages and has not yet been formally introduced.
Pennsylvania’s cannabis landscape got busier this fall. Two bills, addressing very different parts of the plant, are moving through Harrisburg at the same time. One targets the state’s largely unregulated hemp market. The other gives dying patients a compassionate option for pain relief in hospitals and hospices. Here’s where each stands and what they would actually do.
What is the Pennsylvania Hemp and Cannabinoid Act?
Senator Dawn Keefer (R-31) circulated a cosponsorship memo last Friday, announcing plans to introduce the Pennsylvania Hemp and Cannabinoid Act. The bill has not been formally filed yet, but the memo lays out its purpose: build a state framework for consumable hemp products while keeping intoxicating items away from children.
According to Keefer’s memo, the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp as a crop but never created a statewide system for hemp products sold to consumers. That gap let high-THC gummies, drinks, vapes, and smokable products, sometimes called “gas station weed,” land on convenience store shelves with no age gate, no testing standard, and no labeling requirements.
The bill would require:
- Department of Agriculture registration for hemp businesses
- Independent testing and accurate labeling
- 21-and-over sales with ID checks
- A ban on candy-style packaging and marketing aimed at kids
Existing operators who can prove lawful operations before the bill takes effect would be grandfathered in. Keefer’s memo is clear that this is not adult-use marijuana legalization, and it would not create a Cannabis Control Board or touch the existing medical marijuana program.
Why Is This Hemp Bill Happening Now?
Timing matters here. Congress tightened the federal definition of hemp in 2025, but a short-term funding bill delayed most of those restrictions. Synthetic cannabinoids lose their federal hemp status on November 12, while the larger shift to a 0.4 milligram total THC cap per container is now set for December 11, unless Congress steps in again.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has raised alarms about how easily these products reach minors. In September, Sunday’s office announced charges in a statewide trafficking case tied to high-potency THC products packaged like candy and sold through warehouses and storefronts.
Keefer argues that Pennsylvania cannot afford to wait on Washington. Whether Congress lets the THC cap take effect or replaces it with something else, she says the state still needs its own age limits, testing rules, and a public registry.
This isn’t the state’s only attempt at hemp oversight. A separate proposal from Senator Dan Laughlin (R) would create a Cannabis Control Board to oversee both medical marijuana and hemp products. That bill was defeated on the Senate floor in June but remains eligible for reconsideration.
What Is Ryan’s Law and Why Does It Matter in Pennsylvania?
While the hemp bill deals with retail regulation, Ryan’s Law addresses something more personal: how terminally ill patients manage pain in their final days.
The law is named after Ryan Bartell, who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in his early 40s. During treatment at a California hospital, opioid medications left him sedated and unable to connect with family. His family moved him to a hospital in Washington state that permitted medical cannabis. As we covered when the bill was first introduced, that switch made all the difference. Ryan was able to manage his pain while staying present and connected with the people he loved most. His father later recalled that four of the ten weeks between diagnosis and death were lost entirely, swallowed up by an unresponsive, opioid-induced haze.
That experience led Ryan’s family to push for legislation, and California passed the original Ryan’s Law in 2021. Similar bills have since passed in Oregon and Rhode Island, with more under consideration nationwide.
In Pennsylvania, the policy is formally known as Senate Bill 1035, the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act. It’s sponsored by Senator John Kane (D-9) with a wide, bipartisan list of cosponsors, including Republican Senator Dan Laughlin. The bill would amend Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act to give terminally ill patients, defined as those with a prognosis of one year or less, the right to use medical cannabis inside hospitals, hospices, and long-term care facilities.
What Would Ryan’s Law Actually Allow Patients to Do?
The bill is specific about how this would work in practice. Patients may not smoke or vape on-site. Instead, they may use non-smokable forms like tinctures, oils, or edibles. Patients must present a valid medical marijuana ID card, and facilities may require them to store cannabis in a locked container for safety.
Healthcare providers would be required to document medical marijuana use in a patient’s medical records. Facilities would need to develop written guidelines for on-site use under the law. Importantly, the bill does not force any hospital or care facility to recommend or provide cannabis. That responsibility stays with the patient or their caregiver.
The legislation also includes protections for healthcare facilities. Compliance with Ryan’s Law would not put a facility’s license at risk. However, if a federal agency like the Department of Justice or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes enforcement action or issues a rule prohibiting medical cannabis use, a facility could suspend compliance until that guidance changes.
The bill does note one limit, it wouldn’t apply to patients receiving emergency care in an emergency department.
Evidence from other states backs up the approach. A UCLA study on California’s Ryan’s Law, published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, found that patients received the pain relief they needed, hospitals were able to set workable rules, and nurses felt comfortable supporting patients who self-administered medical cannabis.
Where Do These Two Pennsylvania Cannabis Bills Stand Right Now?
Ryan’s Law has real momentum. The Senate Law and Justice Committee voted 11-0 to advance SB 1035 on September 29, 2026, following its earlier passage by the full House of Representatives. Committee chair Senator Dan Laughlin spoke in support before the vote, noting his own experience with back surgery made him sympathetic to patients who can’t or don’t want to rely on opioids. The bill would take effect 60 days after being signed into law.
The Pennsylvania Hemp and Cannabinoid Act is earlier in the process. As of late September 2026, it exists only as a cosponsorship memo, meaning Keefer is still gathering support from fellow senators before formally introducing the bill. No committee vote or hearing date has been set.
Both bills arrive as Pennsylvania continues to face pressure over broader marijuana legalization. Governor Josh Shapiro has repeatedly pushed lawmakers to legalize adult-use cannabis, and the state’s Independent Fiscal Office estimated legalization could generate close to half a billion dollars annually by 2028. Neither the hemp bill nor Ryan’s Law would legalize recreational marijuana, but both reflect a legislature trying to address the substance from different angles while the bigger legalization debate continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
It regulates consumable hemp products sold in Pennsylvania, including THC gummies, drinks, vapes, and smokable hemp items. The bill would require registration with the Department of Agriculture, independent testing, accurate labeling, and 21-and-over sales with ID checks.
No. Sponsor Dawn Keefer has said explicitly that the bill is not adult-use marijuana legalization. It also would not create a Cannabis Control Board or change the state’s existing medical marijuana program.
Ryan’s Law, formally Senate Bill 1035 or the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act, would let terminally ill patients use non-smokable medical cannabis in Pennsylvania hospitals, hospices, and long-term care facilities.
Ryan’s Law cleared the Senate Law and Justice Committee unanimously on September 29, 2026, after already passing the full House of Representatives. It would still need a full Senate vote and the governor’s signature before taking effect.
The bill allows healthcare facilities to suspend compliance if a federal agency like the Department of Justice or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes enforcement action or issues a rule against medical cannabis use in health care settings, without putting the facility’s license at risk.
