Bipartisan Bill To Legalize Marijuana Introduced In Pennsylvania Legislature

HARRISBURG, PA – A bipartisan bill aimed at legalizing adult-use marijuana has been introduced in the Pennsylvania state legislature, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

The measure, House Bill 2500, is being sponsored by Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) and Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) Its main provisions include legalizing cannabis for recreational adult use and taxing cannabis products. Revenue from those taxes would be distributed among several recipients, including municipalities that have cannabis dispensaries. Part of the tax proceeds would go toward a cannabis business establishment fund, and toward addiction prevention, recovery and treatment services.  The state will also have to produce an annual report on social equity in the state’s cannabis industry.

Kaufer and Kinkead have laid out additional goals of their legislation that include the following:

-Provides support for small businesses to participate in the market, prioritizing rural, minority, female, and veteran-owned businesses in particular;
-Establishes robust guidelines for the labeling, packaging, and advertising of products to ensure that products are not marketed to children and adolescents;
-Implements a “clean slate” policy and criminal justice reforms for residents with cannabis-related convictions;
-Provides funding and supports for law enforcement to enforce cannabis regulations;

The lawmakers announced in June that they would be introducing this legislation, saying their bill creates a framework for the sale of recreational marijuana in the state while also expunging criminal charges against people found guilty of non-violent cannabis-related charges.

“Smoking marijuana should not be a crime,” said Kaufer. “We need to prioritize law enforcement resources and redefine a narrative that is not working in today’s society.”

Adding to the sense of urgency is the acknowledgment by many lawmakers that Pennsylvania is losing customers to other nearby states where marijuana is legal for adult use, including neighboring Ohio where licenses have already been issued for dispensaries to begin recreational sales.

“We are surrounded by states that have already legalized the use the adult use of cannabis, and they are taking advantage of the fact that we have not,” Kinkead said. “There are Pennsylvania dollars to be spent on adult use [cannabis], and they want to capitalize on it when we should be doing that. We should be using Pennsylvania dollars in Pennsylvania to support Pennsylvanians, and we should be learning from all of the other states about the way to do this best and the way to best capitalize on it.”

One report projected that within the first year of legalization, there would be up to $2.8 billion in adult-use marijuana sales in Pennsylvania, generating as much as $720 million in tax revenue and creating at least 45,000 jobs.

The state Senate reconvened on Monday, and the state House of Representatives is scheduled to meet next week. If passed in the legislature, the bill would be signed by Governor Josh Shapiro, who fully supports legalization.

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