Pennsylvania’s Republican-led Senate Remains Divided on Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
Despite Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s renewed call for legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania, the state’s Republican-led Senate remains divided on the issue. Shapiro’s administration estimates that legalizing cannabis could generate over $729 million in revenue in the first year, with annual tax revenue of over $200 million once fully implemented.
Advocates for legal cannabis are cautiously optimistic, but also uncertain about the legislature’s likelihood of acting on the issue. Chris Goldstein, an advocate with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, predicts that while there may be more talk about marijuana legalization on the campaign trail, little action will be taken in the legislature.
Shapiro has included legalization in each of his previous budget pitches, and his administration has increased its revenue estimates. However, Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman and State Sen. Dan Laughlin, remain noncommittal. Laughlin, who chairs the committee through which any legalization bill would likely have to pass, has called the state store model “dead on arrival” and his committee has voted it down.
Democrats in the House, on the other hand, are still supportive of legalization, but want Republicans in the Senate to make the next move. State Rep. Dan Frankel, a sponsor of the state store bill, said his caucus is open to other paths to legalization, but wants to see the Senate act so lawmakers can “get to the table and negotiate our differing priorities.”
Advocates are also skeptical about the legislature’s ability to pass a legalization bill, citing the state Senate’s “very divided” Republican caucus. Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, is cautiously optimistic, saying lawmakers “can do it if they have the will,” but it’s a question of whether they will take up the measure.
Meredith Buettner Schneider, executive director of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition, a trade organization for the industry, pointed to state Senate consideration of cannabis-related legislation, such as Laughlin’s oversight board bill, as a sign that the legislature is gradually becoming more open to the conversation.
However, Goldstein remains skeptical, arguing that the legislature’s all-encompassing approach to addressing many aspects of legalization in one bill is slowing down the process. He would prefer the legislature first tackle issues with more consensus, such as decriminalizing possession of a small amount of cannabis or clarifying DUI standards for medical marijuana users.
