Democrat state lawmakers in Pennsylvania said that if their party can flip three Senate seats this November, the state will be on the short path to legalizing adult-use cannabis, WHYY reports.
The Democrat-controlled House approved an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal last year, but the bill died in a Republican-controlled Senate committee. But if Democrats can capture control of both legislative bodies, they would move quickly to legalize adult-use cannabis, expunge past cannabis-related convictions, and build a new industry with equitable opportunities for Black communities and others, House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) said last week during a cannabis policy panel discussion.
McClinton was joined by state Sen. Sharif Street (D) and Rep. Jordan Harris (D) for the discussion, which took place at a policy summit
“Pennsylvanians, in 39 days, could put us in a position where we can have that. There is just a sea-change difference in what the House majority leadership is willing to do on this issue versus what the Senate majority leadership is willing to do on this issue.” — State Sen. Sharif Street (D), during the panel discussion
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) supports adult-use legalization and has included cannabis-derived tax revenue in his budget proposals for multiple years, but lawmakers pushed to remove the language each time.
Pennsylvania passed its medical cannabis reforms in 2016, although a recent audit of the program suggested that the market needs more regulatory oversight.
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