Pennsylvania makes 24. By signing the legislation on Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf put the commonwealth in the company of 23 other states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana for medical use.

Before a large celebratory crowd gathered in the Capitol Rotunda, Wolf put his name on a measure that undoubtedly will be one of the hallmarks of his administration and fulfill what has been a hard-fought and emotional goal of a group of ardent and indefatigable supporters.

Upon witnessing Wolf's signature on the bill, Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon County - who was dubbed "Marijuana Mike" for his relentless push for this legislation - declared: "It's law."

The ceremony held on a Sunday afternoon drew hundreds of advocates that filled the Rotunda floor and staircase and spilled into the second floor balcony. The size of the crowd even appeared to shock Wolf judging by the look on his face as he made his way into the Rotunda from an adjacent hallway and craned his neck backward to see the people standing on the floor above.

"This is really a great day for Pennsylvania," Wolf said. "This is really a great day for all of us."

He said it shows that Republicans and Democrats "can work together" and that government can be responsive to people with a heartfelt cause.

Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery County, before removing a green bracelet given him three years ago by a mother of a sick child that he promised not to remove until the bill became law, said: "Marijuana as medicine is coming to Pennsylvania."

Reps. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, and Joe Petrarca, D-Westmoreland, along with the senators, also commended lawmakers for putting aside their partisan differences to get this issue done.

"It is among our proudest moments and it is our gift for generations to come," Leach said. "I can't help thinking this is what government is supposed to look like."

Like Leach with his bracelet, Folmer shared his own story of a good luck charm that he carried throughout the legislative process. It was former Lt. Gov. Ernie Kline's pocketwatch. Kline's daughter Monica gave it to him to inspire him to stay focused on the goal and not like partisan politics derail his quest for getting this legislation across the finish line. She said her father was regarded as having a knack to bring the right and left together and that was what Folmer needed to do with this issue.

Advocates Lolly Bentsch and Dana Ulrich also credited the advocates for doing their part.

"This whole process has been long and torturous and it seemed like it was just never going to end. And it was tear-filled and it was heartbreaking because we lost people along the way but we had each other," Bentsch said, as her voice cracked with emotion. "Had it not been such a long journey, had it not felt like torture at times, today wouldn't be nearly as special."

It is expected to take at least 18 months to get the program up and running and able to dispense medical marijuana to patients.

Getting to this point was a two-and-a-half year journey for adults and parents of children who see medicinal value in using marijuana to treat illnesses. With the help of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the Senate and House, they finally arrived at their long-awaited destination on Sunday.

With it becoming legal, those with any of the 17 qualifying medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, assorted neurological and gastrointestinal disorders, autism, among others, will soon be able to buy various marijuana-derived medicines without fear of breaking the law.

It is done. Medical marijuana is now legal in Pa. @PennLive pic.twitter.com/7rWI4ncnUy — Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) April 17, 2016

.@GovernorTomWolf: this shows we (Rs and Ds) can get things done pic.twitter.com/lnig2P2WpE — Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) April 17, 2016