A pair of Pennsylvania senators introduced new bipartisan legislation July 6 to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Keystone State.
Sens. Sharif Street, D-3, and Dan Laughlin, R-49, filed Senate Bill 846 to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. The proposal also includes social equity and expungement provisions.
“We have a unique and singular opportunity to correct decades of mass incarceration, disproportionate enforcement against marginalized communities, the criminalization of personal choice and the perpetuation of violence, which all materialized from the failed war on drugs,” Street said in a public statement in May, when the bill was first announced. “Legalizing the adult use of cannabis will help us fully and equitably fund education, lower property taxes, and address a variety of community needs throughout Pennsylvania.”
S.B. 846 would allow the state’s existing farmers to cultivate cannabis, and would also authorize Pennsylvania’s registered medical cannabis patients to grow a limited number of plants at home for personal use.
The bill would direct regulators to award adult-use cannabis retail licenses to entrepreneurs deemed social and economic equity applicants, while allowing existing medical cannabis licensees and additional applicants the opportunity to participate in the market.
The legislation would also expunge all non-violent cannabis convictions in the state.
“Legalized adult use of marijuana is supported by an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians and this legislation accomplishes that while also ensuring safety and social equity,” Laughlin said in a public statement Thursday. “With neighboring states New Jersey and New York implementing adult use, we have a duty to Pennsylvania taxpayers to legalize adult-use marijuana to avoid losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax revenue and thousands of new jobs.”
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