The Governor of Pennsylvania slammed the GOP controlled Senate after it killed a bill passed by the House to legalize pot.
About a week after the House narrowly advanced reform legislation—which would’ve created an adult-use market with state-run dispensaries—a Senate committee on Tuesday rejected the proposal from Reps. Rick Krajewski (D) and Dan Frankel (D).
Gov. Josh Shapiro, (D), said in an interview on WILK News Radio Wednesday that rejecting the bill does a disservice not only to the majority of bipartisan voters who favor legalization but also to the Commonwealth itself which is losing potential tax revenues to states nearby that have adopted the policy change.
Shapiro said, “Look, it’s clear that people want this.” Shapiro included the legalization of marijuana in his budget for a third time during the year. It’s clear from poll after survey.
You can ignore polls, but you should look at the real situation. Cross the border. [New Jersey] “Or to New York,” said he. When you enter a cannabis store for adults, 60 percent are Pennsylvanians. They are going to the store. The choice is theirs.
“It may not be a choice I make or you make—but it’s a choice they make, and they want the right to do that,” Shapiro said. They pay tax to New York, New Jersey, to fund their roads and schools.
Since years, I’ve made it clear that this was my position. Pennsylvania must compete. We’re in a region surrounded by other states who have legalized marijuana and are reaping its benefits,” said the Governor. I think it’s a matter of freedom. I think it’s an issue of economic opportunity and competitiveness, and I’ve put forward now—during my time as governor, multiple times—the key goals of any legalization bill.”
Without specifically endorsing the legalization proposal that passed the House, Shapiro noted its advancement through the Democratic-controlled chamber and said it recognized “the need to compete” with other states.
The Senate basically put the bill on hold and stated that they did not want to proceed with it at this time. It will require a bipartisan solution. We can’t do nothing, I think. And the Senate, I would hope, would reconsider just shoving this bill in a drawer and ignoring it—and start listening to the people of Pennsylvania and start trying to be more competitive, and recognize that we have an ability to reap the benefits from this.”
The governor also said that legalization could help to “right some wrongs” for those who have been convicted in the previous of having small amounts of cannabis. “I’m in favor of expunging those records. I believe Pennsylvania has an excellent opportunity to be a leader on this matter, but that will require legislative action, which I hope it does soon.”
Start listening to Governor’s remarks at 13:55 in the audio.
WILK’s host asked Shapiro if he felt it was time to bring the issue to the voters. The governor responded that Pennsylvania does not have a process for citizen ballot initiatives and that the state legislature would also need to act to place a referendum on the voters’ agenda.
He added, “I prefer to see us adopt and implement this so we can compete like every other state is doing at this time.” “Every other state’s reaping the benefits at this point… I think we’ll see hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue. It’s going to also be a highly regulated industry. The black market is already closed. That’s a very important aspect. It is possible to right the wrongs of the past.
“I think we can make sure that our small businesses—that these dispensaries are more locally owned, so we’re creating economic opportunity,” he said. You can see the benefits of legalization in other states. You’re seeing new businesses spring up. This is good news for both our agriculture and business interests.
I think we still have a lot to gain, despite the fact that states all around us are legalizing.”
After Tuesday’s Senate Committee vote, legislators from both chambers have traded criticisms over each other’s role in the stagnant push to end prohibition.
For example, Frankel—a lead sponsor of the House measure—took a hit at Senate Law and Justice Committee Chairman Dan Laughlin (R) after his panel rejected the measure, saying “Republicans have had control of the Senate for 30 years, and the first time they bring up a cannabis legalization bill, it’s to vote it down.”
This is how it works: The House passes the bill and the Senate follows suit. They then work with one another to make sure that both chambers are satisfied. [the governor] He said: “It is important to come up with the best possible legislation.” Cannabis is available and regulated in PA, which benefits the local communities.
These comments are in response to a X post by Laughlin who supported cannabis legalization, but claimed that Frankel’s state-run model of a store would not pass the Senate.
The senator stated that the House’s decision to send HB 1200 on to the Senate was not a real legalization attempt, but rather political theatre. “I’ve not had any conversations with the House leadership or sponsors of this bill.”
Prior to the Senate panel’s vote this week, Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general said that while he doesn’t currently support the House-passed marijuana legalization bill, he’s open to changing his mind about the policy change after continuing to review the details.
For what it’s worth, a recent poll found that Pennsylvania voters say they favor a model where cannabis is sold by licensed private businesses, rather than through a system of state-run stores.
He has called on the legalization of marijuana for adults. The governor has called for legalization of adult-use marijuana, but he’s not supported the idea that it should be a state controlled model.
Rep. Abby Major (R)—who is sponsoring another forthcoming legalization bill that envisions a traditional private sales model alongside Rep. Emily Kinkead (D)—said during the House floor debate on HB 1200 that she stands opposed to the competing bill, emphasizing that she disagrees with the state-run stores proposal.
Even though Democrats have control of the House, Governor’s Office and Senate, they still must reach an agreement with Republicans to bring about change. In addition to conflicting viewpoints among pro-legalization lawmakers, this political dynamic could be another barrier to reform.
Senate Majority leader Joe Pittman said that even though he saw a “path to take” in enacting separate regulations related to gaming reforms, he did not see a consensus among the four caucuses or the Governor collectively. [marijuana legalization] “Priority should be given to this.”
Regardless of which direction Pennsylvania lawmakers do—or don’t—go on marijuana legalization this session, a survey released in April shows a majority of adults in the state support the reform—and opposition to the policy change has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the last decade.
Kinkead has made the case in another recent interview that legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania will help the state mitigate public health and safety concerns associated with the illicit market, including the fact that unregulated products can be laced with fentanyl.
The lawmaker previously introduced a separate bipartisan marijuana legalization bill, alongside 15 other cosponsors, last September. However, it did not move forward.
Meanwhile, Laughlin recently called for the creation of a state “legacy” fund, using tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales and gaming to make long-term investments in the Commonwealth’s economy.
Senator argued, that the state, in addition to using tax revenues to finance day-today public projects, should also set aside a part of these tax dollars to create a “sustainable source of prosperity” that would last for many generations.
Another GOP Pennsylvania senator, Sen. Gene Yaw (R), is backing the push to legalize marijuana in the commonwealth, pointing out that, historically, prohibition “has not turned out well,” noting the country’s experience with alcohol criminalization.
Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) recently said that Democrats are ready to pass a marijuana legalization bill this session, but that the party “will need Republican support” to get the job done—adding that it will be a “heavy lift.”
Polls indicate that voters are bipartisan in their support of legalization, yet the legislation has stalled repeatedly in the state legislature due to the GOP’s opposition. But not all Republican members are against the policy change—and one recently said she felt her party should seize the “opportunity to snatch” the issue from Democrats.
Separately in March, the Pennsylvania House approved a bill sponsored by Frankel that’s meant to strengthen safety standards and oversight of the state’s medical marijuana program as lawmakers work to advance adult-use legalization.
Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program, enacted almost a decade back, has now been sent to the Senate. Lawmakers say it is needed to improve the testing compliance, the product audits and the lab inspections.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would allow farmers and other small agriculture operators to sell marijuana they cultivate to existing growers and and processors if the state moves to legalize adult-use cannabis.
Separately, an independent Pennsylvania agency is projecting more tax dollars to be generated from adult-use marijuana sales compared to what the governor’s office has estimated, although it expects significantly less overall revenue from cannabis legalization due to differing views on licensing fees.
Pennsylvania officials also have launched a survey inviting legal marijuana businesses in the United States to share information on their business operations. This will help Pennsylvania better understand the cannabis market as legislators consider adult-use legalization during this legislative session.
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Also, in a video interview released in March, the governor emphasized that the state is “losing out” to others that have already enacted adult-use legalization, while maintaining a policy that’s enriched the illicit market.
I think this is a matter of liberty and freedom. He said that if people want to smoke they should have the option to do it in a way that is safe and legal. “We should shut down the black market—and, by the way, every state around us is doing it. Pennsylvanians drive to other states, and pay taxes there.
The state’s agriculture secretary separately told lawmakers that he’s fully confident that his department is in a “really good” position to oversee an adult-use marijuana program if lawmakers act.
Meanwhile, in February, top Pennsylvania police and health officials told lawmakers they are prepared to implement marijuana legalization if the legislature moves forward with the reform—and that they stand ready to work together as the details of legislation to achieve it are crafted.
Amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, a GOP state senator said prohibition has been a “disaster,” and a regulated sales model for cannabis—similar to how alcohol and tobacco are handled—could serve as an effective alternative.
A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently defended the push to legalize and regulate marijuana, calling it “the most conservative stance” on the issue.
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