Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are planning, once again, to introduce legislation during the upcoming legislative session to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, WGAL reports. State Rep. Dan Frankel (D) told WGAL that the proposal “will deliver a market that protects the public health,” benefits taxpayers and uplifts “communities that were disproportionately harmed by prohibition policies.”
“We have a moral obligation to not only legalize but also to work to repair the damage caused by decades of marijuana arrests.” — Frankel to WGAL
State Rep. Rick Krajewski (D) who led the House Health Subcommittee on Health Care and chaired five hearings during the previous legislative session to investigate the successes and failures of cannabis programs in other states, said lawmakers have “learned directly from states across the country how to get this done safely and efficiently, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in public revenue.”
“We’ve heard from public health experts. We’ve heard from criminal justice and social equity advocates,” he told WGAL. “It’s time to move forward in Pennsylvania before we fall further behind.”
Every state that borders Pennsylvania has legalized cannabis for adult use – save for West Virginia, which has legalized cannabis only for medical use.
Last year, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) called on lawmakers to pass the reforms and included cannabis tax revenues in his budget proposal which estimated the state could generate $14.8 million in tax revenue during the first year of adult-use sales, which would increase to $76 million in the second year, $160 million in the third, and $230 million in the fourth year.
During the legislative session, a bipartisan cannabis legalization bill was introduced in the state House of Representatives but did not pass either chamber.
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