The governor of Pennsylvania says he hasn’t given up on his push to legalize adult-use marijuana through the budget.
Despite resistance from Republican leaders, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said on Monday that cannabis legalization—as well as taxing skill games—remains part of his plan to offset the state’s budget deficit.
Pressed on the seeming unwillingness of GOP lawmakers to advance that agenda through the budget, which is technically eight weeks past a constitutionally mandated deadline to pass, Shapiro said “I’m not going to concede on any of those fronts.”
“I think we’ll be able to pass a fiscally responsible budget that cuts taxes and makes significant investments,” he said.
This comes as the leading Republican candidate in the race to become the next governor of Pennsylvania dodged a question about her stance on legalizing marijuana—saying she doesn’t have a “policy position” on the issue and arguing that the sitting governor’s proposal for reform “way, way overstated” potential revenue.
The candidate, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), pointed to neighboring Ohio, which launched its own adult-use cannabis market this year, saying “they generated about $115 million in revenue.” And while the populations of both states are relatively comparable, Shapiro’s budget projected $536.5 million in cannabis revenue in the first fiscal year of implementation.
She did, however, say that if Pennsylvania moves forward on enacting the reform, she’ll “make sure that it’s banked appropriately.”
Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania Democratic senator recently said that federal marijuana rescheduling—which President Donald Trump said he’d be making a decision on imminently—would be “very influential” in advancing legalization in his state, giving “political cover” to GOP members on the fence about reform.
Sen. Sharif Street (D) discussed the status of cannabis legalization efforts in the Keystone State, including a bipartisan proposal to end prohibition that he filed alongside Sen. Dan Laughlin (R) last month.
The House did narrowly pass a bill to legalize cannabis with state-run stores, but it was quickly rejected in the Senate in May. Another legalization proposal with a state-run sales was introduced last month, but Street says that regulatory model is a non-starter.
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The House-passed legalization bill isn’t necessarily dead for the session as a vehicle to advance reform, however, and Democrats in the chamber recently called on voters to pressure state senators to sign off on the cannabis measure, arguing that it would benefit health and safety and bring in billions of dollars in revenue for the commonwealth.
While other legalization proposals have since been filed in the state—including from bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers—Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) and others have already signaled disinterest in the reform.
Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, due largely to GOP 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.
In addition to pushback from Senate Majority Leader Pittman, another Republican, Sen. Scott Martin, who chairs the influential Appropriations Committee, said earlier this month that he didn’t plan to move on any adult-use legalization bills.
Nevertheless, one Republican senator sponsoring a legalization proposal said last week that supporters in the legislature are “picking up votes.”
Laughlin—who introduced a legalization bill with Street—said support is growing because “people would rather [legalize cannabis] than do a tax increase to try and balance a budget.”
Rep. Amen Brown (D) subsequently said he intended to file a House companion version of that measure, circulating a cosponsorship memo to colleagues last month.
Separately, just days after Laughlin and Street filed their measure, Reps. Emily Kinkead (D) and Abby Major (R)—alongside eight other cosponsors—filed legislation in the House to enact the reform. The pair have previously championed other proposals to end prohibition.
Laughlin and 16 other lawmakers also recently filed a separate bill to create a new regulatory body in the state that would begin overseeing medical cannabis while preparing to eventually handle the adult-use market as well.
Separately, 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.
Meanwhile, a Democratic lawmaker recently filed a bill that seeks to require employers to cover the costs of medical cannabis for qualifying patients receiving workers’ compensation.
Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.
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