Legislation backed by state Rep. Kathy Rapp creating more oversight of the state’s medical marijuana program should receive consideration soon in the state Legislature.

Bill sponsor Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Pittsburgh, said House Bill 33 would give the state Department of Health the authority to oversee the labs that currently test marijuana products to determine their contents and safety to consumers. The goal, said Frankel, is to ensure product integrity by establishing oversight through audit testing, quality assurance testing, data transparency and inspections.

Reports the past two years have shown an alarming amount of contaminants in marijuana – including such things as mold, lead, arsenic and other highly toxic heavy metals. In 2023, federal health authorities received thousands of reports nationwide about harmful side effects, including poisonings, that involved marijuana use, according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal.

“I do think we need to continue making sure that people who are using the product, that we can ensure their safety,” Rapp said, according to a recent Center Square story about the bill.

This is a common-sense bill that Republicans in the state House and state Senate should get behind. Most medications given with a prescription provide at least some assurance that the product is safe for people to use. The fact that medical marijuana does not is a problem that the state Legislature should correct this year.