Fill Technician Seth DeLuca makes Curaleaf vape products with medical marijuana during a media tour of the Curaleaf medical cannabis cultivation and processing facility Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Ravena, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

Having a medical marijuana card allows people to seek a treatment that for decades they could have been arrested for, and to some extent, still can today.

According to state law, there are still some constraints on citizens possessing and using medical marijuana.

These constraints include how the marijuana is consumed and contained as well as limitations on driving, all of which come with penalties for those who violate the rules.

The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law in 2016; however, the law came with a moderator, known as the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board, to help guide changes and amendments moving forward.

One of the biggest changes came in August 2018, when plant-based and dry leaf medical marijuana became available to the public. Before its addition, patients could only use marijuana in the form of pills, oils, topical forms, vaporization, tincture and liquid.

“We recommend that medical marijuana patients talk with their doctor or the medical professional at the dispensary to see if the dry-leaf form of medical marijuana is an option for them,” said Maggi Barton, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

On June 30, other changes that had been temporarily instated by the advisory board also became permanent.

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