Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary says that he is confident his department will be in a good position to supervise a program for adult use marijuana, as suggested by the Governor if legislators enact this reform.
Russell Redding, Agriculture Secretary at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), spoke out on a number of aspects of Governor. Josh Shapiro (D)’s latest budget request includes his proposal to legallyize cannabis in 2019.
Redding expressed his appreciation for the governor’s recognition that the creation of a sales regulation system is a way to “reality-check the market in Pennsylvania” as well as the situation of surrounding states. Redding added that, in terms of the regulatory role Shapiro sees his department playing in the food industry, “there is no other agency in Pennsylvania which has more access to manufacturing and food facilities than us.”
“We have the regulatory structure.” “Our roots are here,” he told the Senate Committee at the hearing.
The Secretary stated at various points that the Agriculture Department is well-suited to oversee a future program of adult-use cannabis, but it’s also important for it to bring in the “expertise and capacity” of Department of Health which manages the current medical marijuana program of the state.
He said, “This is a great place for us to be in.” But it requires new resources. New people are needed. “The governor’s office is committed, but we need to determine the exact design.”
Redding, on the whole, argued, that the lessons from other states who have legalized adult use have shown the importance of having “a single agency leading it.” He’s willing to do that himself with his own department.
Sen. Sharif Street’s (D) plan to present bipartisan cannabis legislation this year was discussed with Redding. He asked him for his views on the possible creation of a Cannabis Control Board that would oversee the program and be staff by the Agriculture Department.
As proposed by Governor, agriculture will lead adult-use marijuana efforts, correct? Redding answered, “We’d house it.” We would manage it. “We would lead it. We would regulate it. This is all done within the Department of Agriculture along with various advisory boards and committees. “We’re very happy about that.”
Yesterday, the Department of Agriculture held a budget hearing. The Department of Agriculture was asked about their views on the use of cannabis by adults and urban farming in Massachusetts. pic.twitter.com/eAy0E8fLaO
— Senator Sharif Street (@SenSharifStreet) February 28, 2025
Rep. Eric Davanzo, (R), questioned the Secretary at the House Appropriations Committee about the Department’s participation in the Governor’s budget plan, and whether the change of policy was requested.
Redding claimed that the request was not made by him personally but defended the agency’s capability to complete the reform.
“I’m sure, like I said last time, that the agriculture community has a lot of economic potential,” he stated. We’ve heard today themes about protecting and enhancing them. This is an important distinction between the proposals of other states. Pennsylvania is the only state which will have a Department of Agriculture.
The plan gives Pennsylvania priority for the granting of permits, allowing farmers the chance to cultivate.
“So while we have folks who are interested in industrial hemp, there’s going to be folks who are interested in adult-use—and when you can produce a crop that’s got a margin compared to where a lot of the crops are today, it’s a good thing.”
Davanzo was also assured by him that the department had contributed its opinion on the funding projections included in the Governor’s proposal.
Rep. Torren Ecker(R), House GOP Vice Chair, requested clarification from the secretary on “anyother states that have legalized pot and used the Department of Agriculture to these programs.”
“No,” Redding said.
Ecker asked the man to explain his reasons for believing that this department should take on such a responsibility.
“I spent a long time thinking about this,” said the secretary. We’re constantly in and outside of the Department of Agriculture. It’s plants. It’s a product. This is a regulating structure. “At the end of it all, this is a product.”
What is the best way to manage this commodity? This is my understanding of what we have done. “Our roots are our roots, correct?” “He said. He said: “I feel confident that we can achieve this goal with our partnership with the Department of Health, and with their medical marijuana program. I consider it a vote of faith.” “I think this is an opportunity.”
The Secretary largely repeated comments that he had made when the Governor proposed the regulatory framework of marijuana, which was focused around the Agriculture Department.
Redding had expressed excitement about his potential to oversee the adult-use cannabis market around this time last summer. He said that the state is uniquely placed to benefit from the reform because its farmers are “very good at growing stuff.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month, 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.
Separately, amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, a GOP state senator says 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.
Voters are ready to see that policy change, according to a poll released earlier this month.
The survey, commissioned by the advocacy group ResponsiblePA, found that nearly 7 in 10 voters in the state support the reform—including a majority of Republicans. And 63 per cent want the state legislature to enact this reform rather than delay it.
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While Shapiro once again included a proposal to enact cannabis legalization in his latest budget request, there’s been mixed feedback from legislators—some of whom want to see the governor more proactively come to the table to discuss possible pathways for reform and others skeptical about the possibility of advancing the issue this session.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin (R), for example, said this month that he doesn’t “see any path whatsoever” to enacting legalization in line with the governor’s plan.
At the same, Shapiro’s plan could pass during the current cycle of budgeting, according to the State Secretary for Department of Revenue. This means that reform can begin in a few months.
House Majority leader Matt Bradford (D) said, meanwhile, following the Governor’s Budget Speech that there is “real diversity of opinion among our members.” This was likely in reference to split opinions on regulatory models. Some lawmakers are pushing for a cannabis state program.
He also said recently that he feels the time is ripe to advance marijuana reform this session, saying “it strikes me as abdicating our responsibility to protect our communities and our children, and at the same time, we are losing revenue that is going to go into our neighboring states.”
Key lawmakers have expressed skepticism about the governor’s ability to see through the cannabis reform he’s proposing, however.
The Governor needs to take the initiative on something. Kim Ward (R), Senate President pro Tempore, said that the governor must take responsibility for a project if he is to see it through. “He can’t throw an idea out there—which he did last year—and say, ‘Let the legislature figure it out. It’s mine to sign. “Then I will go to all the states and do press conferences.”
House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, (R), was also asked if marijuana would be included in the budget proposal of Governor Rick Scott. And he said while he’s “not going to speak for the governor,” there’s “one person that has the ability to bring those deals together—and that is the governor.”
He referenced recent remarks from Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) who said there are logistical challenges to advancing legalization that he’s unsure lawmakers will be able to overcome.
The feedback from GOP lawmakers is reminiscent of earlier criticism from the caucus about the governor, who they’ve claimed has made the call for reform without meaningfully engaging with the legislature about how to get it done.
Also, the new Republican state attorney general of Pennsylvania recently raised concerns about the “potential harm that could be caused criminally” by enacting the reform.
According to the Republican chairman of an important Senate committee, he plans to bring up legislation to legalize marijuana for adult use in Pennsylvania this year. This would make Pennsylvania only the 25th state to do so. He also thinks that more of his GOP colleagues could get on board with the reform soon than have in the past.
The devil lies in the detail. While legalization activists and observers consider Pennsylvania to be one of the more likely states this year to pass an recreational marijuana law, there are still many details that need attention. One lawmaker has floated a relatively simple bill to decriminalize personal possession, while two others plan to introduce more sweeping legislation that would legalize through a state-run system of stores.
Laughlin last spring introduced a bill meant to remove state barriers to medical marijuana patients carrying firearms. The bill didn’t get passed, but the legislator said that in a recent interview he believed political support was growing for the legalization of marijuana.
The senator said an event last May that the state is “getting close” to legalizing marijuana, but the job will only get done if House and Senate leaders sit down with the governor and “work it out.”
Reps. Dan Frankel (D) and Rick Krajewski (D) announced in December that they planned to file legalization legislation, emphasizing that there’s a “moral obligation” to repair harms of criminalization while also raising revenue as neighboring state markets mature.
Frankel, who is one of the sponsors for the bill, said that they hope it will be voted on “sometime during early spring.” But questions still remain about whether the Legislature would support his push to eliminate cannabis prohibition through state-run retail sales.
A separate decriminalization measure, meanwhile, from Pennsylvania Rep. Danilo Burgos (D), would make simple possession of cannabis a summary offense punishable by a $100 fine without the threat of jail time. Low-level possession of cannabis is currently a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 day in prison, or a maximum fine of $500.
Additionally, in September, bipartisan Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R) and Kinkead formally introduced a bipartisan marijuana legalization bill, alongside 15 other cosponsors.
In July, the governor said his administration and lawmakers would “come back and continue to fight” for marijuana legalization and other policy priorities that were omitted from budget legislation he signed into law that month.
As for medical marijuana, the governor in October signed a bill to correct an omission in a law that unintentionally excluded dispensaries from state-level tax relief for the medical marijuana industry.
About three months after the legislature approved the underlying budget bill that Shapiro signed containing tax reform provisions as a partial workaround to a federal ban on tax deductions for cannabis businesses, the Pennsylvania legislature passed corrective legislation.
Separately, at a Black Cannabis Week event hosted recently by the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO) in October, Street and Reps. Chris Rabb (D), Amen Brown (D), Darisha Parker (D) and Napoleon Nelson (D) joined activists to discuss their legislative priorities and motivations behind advancing legalization in the Keystone State.
Other lawmakers have also emphasized the urgency of legalizing as soon as possible given regional dynamics, while signaling that legislators are close to aligning House and Senate proposals.
As for cannabis and gun ownership, Laughlin had been looking at the issue for more than a year before introducing last year’s bill, writing last February to the state’s acting police commissioner to “strongly encourage” he review a federal ruling that the U.S. government’s ban on gun ownership by people who use marijuana is unconstitutional.
Since that time, several federal court decisions have raised questions about the constitutionality and the gun ban. A federal judge in El Paso, for example, recently ruled that the ongoing ban on gun ownership by habitual marijuana users was unconstitutional in the case of a defendant who earlier pleaded guilty to the criminal charge. A court in El Paso allowed a man to withdraw his plea, and then ordered the dismissal of the criminal charges against him.
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Mike Latimer provided the photo.
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