A Republican Pennsylvania legislator says Republicans must seize “the opportunity to grab” marijuana legalization away from Democrats.
Rep. Abby Major, R. said that the conservative movement must step up and take a stand as the State Legislature considers the proposals for adult use legalization.
I’ve always been a Republican. She said, “I believe in small governments, low taxes and a free marketplace, as well as personal freedom.” “I support adult use of marijuana for these reasons.”
Major wrote: “With nearly all the states around us having legalized cannabis, it is a foregone conclusion that the remainder of the nation will follow.” Why should Pennsylvania be always the last state to adopt change?
Legalization represents a key “opportunity”—and one that aligns with conservative values, she said.
The economic benefits are compelling for legislators, business owners and citizens. The ripple effect of legalization on Pennsylvania’s finances could be significant, from job creation and tax revenue. I feel that Republicans can use a traditionally Democratic issue to their political and electoral benefit.
Similar GOP lawmakers across the U.S. made a similar case. The Democrats led reform efforts at both the federal and state levels, but conservative politicians have increasingly adopted the message of economics and rights for states. This includes President Donald Trump.
Major wrote: “Beyond economic arguments, the fiction that prohibition is a policy is untrue.” Major wrote that the prohibition of marijuana has cost our state millions by incarcerating inmates and running court systems, probation services, and other government apparatuses.
“Legalizing adult-use marijuana is the small-government solution to controlling cannabis. This puts the production of cannabis in private enterprises, rather than cartels and dealers. The products must also be thoroughly tested prior to being sold. “Legalization is the conservative, common sense approach.”
However, the lawmaker said that “there is still a valid question” about how we will legalize.
She said that we should first examine what does not work. For example, some legislators’ plans to legalize marijuana through a model of state control whereby the government controls the market as it currently is for alcohol.
OPINION — @AbbyMajor60:I’m always been a Republican. I’m a Republican, always have been. This is why I am in favor of legalizing cannabis for adults. Why should Pa. always be the last to embrace change?https://t.co/3JYqUBS1gV
— TribLIVE.com (@TribLIVE) March 27, 2025
“I believe this is not the right approach and is effectively ‘Communist cannabis’—state controlled and centrally planned, stifling businesses and entrepreneurial opportunities in Pennsylvania,” she said. The government has been prosecuting citizens selling marijuana for more than 100 years and now wants to make it legal, but only for government-owned dealers.
“If we are going to do this, we need to do it right—with a robust market that allows individuals to make their own choices with their own money,” Major said. It’s now time to take the conservative, smart decision and legalize adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania. “The people are for it, and the economy is in need of it.”
A Pennsylvania legislator who had previously floated a model of state-run pot said earlier this month that he is optimistic about the possibility of legalization being approved by this summer. He called the change in policy “inevitable”, as Pennsylvania “bleeds out revenues” to other States.
Rep. Dan Frankel, who chairs the House Health Committee and is the chair of the House Budget Committee, believes it possible that a bill legalizing marijuana could be introduced as part of a budget reconciliation that has to conclude by June 30.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D), the same politician who has included another legalization proposal in his budget request for this year, indicated on a similar basis that reforms could be implemented within that timeframe. It is still unclear which legislation, if any at all, could achieve the consensus needed to be enacted.
Frankel and Rep. Rick Krajewski (D) first announced in December that they planned to file adult-use legalization legislation, emphasizing that there’s a “moral obligation” to repair harms of criminalization while also raising revenue as neighboring state markets mature.
Meanwhile this month, the Pennsylvania House approved a separate 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, established nearly a decade earlier, has now been reauthorized by the Senate. Lawmakers say this new measure is needed to improve the testing of compliance and other aspects, such as product audits, lab inspections and others.
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Separately in an interview that was released earlier this month the Governor emphasized the fact that the State is losing out on other states who have legalized the adult-use of marijuana, yet maintaining a strategy that has enriched illicit markets.
“I believe it is an issue of freedom, and I support that.” 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 pay their taxes and drive into other states.
Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general recently said he wants to be a “voice for potential public safety risks” of enacting the governor’s proposal—though he said his office would be ready to enforce the new law if lawmakers did vote to pass it.
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, last 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 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.
Voters are ready to see that policy change, according to a poll released last 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 percent of respondents want to see this year’s reforms enacted by the legislature, not delayed.
A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently defended the push to legalize and regulate marijuana, calling it “the most conservative stance” on the issue.
Maryland lawmakers approve bills to allow adults to make their own marijuana brownies and concentrates at home
Philip Steffan is the photographer.
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