When New Jersey legalized the sale of cannabis to adults in 2021, many felt that Pennsylvania couldn’t be that far behind. Nearly four years later, however, the commonwealth is yet to pass a bill to legalize the purchase of cannabis products.
There are lawmakers looking to change that. In a memo sent out in early December to the state legislature, Democratic State Representatives Rick Krajewski and Dan Frankel asked for other state house members to cosponsor a bill that would legalize and regulate the sale of cannabis in Pennsylvania.
“We’ve heard from public health experts. We’ve heard from criminal justice and social equity advocates. We’ve learned directly from states across the country how to get this done safely and efficiently, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in public revenue,” said Rep. Krajewski. “It’s time to move forward in Pennsylvania before we fall further behind.”
According to both lawmakers, the bill will expunge records of people who faced punishment for using cannabis, reinvest funds into communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs, regulate excessive THC levels, prohibit predatory marketing and packaging, prevent accidental ingestions by children, and other recommendations developed by the nation’s leading scientists and provide sustainable cannabis businesses opportunities for local and diverse operators.
“Pennsylvanians are consuming marijuana, whether by visiting our bordering states, buying unregulated hemp loophole products at gas stations and vape shops, or purchasing in the illicit market,” states the memo. “Prohibition is a failed policy with significant consequences to our Commonwealth. It has ruined lives over minor cannabis offenses, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. Consumption of unregulated and dangerous products has increased. And we are losing millions of public revenue that our communities need.”
So far, 24 states have legalized recreational use of weed, including five states that border Pennsylvania (West Virginia is the only one to have not done so yet.) According to the PA’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, 4.6 percent of citizens in the Commonwealth have a medical card, and a 2022 poll done by CBS News found that 66 percent of registered voters in the Commonwealth are in favor of legalization.
Currently, you are allowed to purchase cannabis in Pennsylvania only if you have a medical card. Possession of less than 30 grams is a misdemeanor, with a maximum fine of $500 and 30 days in prison, while being arrested with over 30 grams is a misdemeanor with a up to a $5,000 fine and a year in prison.
Governor Josh Shapiro has long been in favor of legalization. During his address earlier this year about the state’s budget, he said, “It’s time to catch up. I ask you to come together and send a bill to my desk that legalizes marijuana.”
