PA: Bipartisan Senate legalization bill introduced!

A bipartisan group of state senators introduced a bill to legalize cannabis for adults in the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, the state’s budget is overdue and residents are facing devastating cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and SEPTA service. While cannabis legalization can’t fix all of Pennsylvania’s budget problems, it would generate over $300 million per year — which is enough to insure around 40,000 people.

If you live in Pennsylvania, make your voice heard! Let your state legislators know voters are fed up with the wasteful war on cannabis. Nearly 20% of Pennsylvanians admit to having used cannabis in the past year. The Commonwealth needs to wake up to reality and stop sending cannabis taxes across its borders. 
 
All but one of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states have legalized adult-use cannabis. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania doesn’t even have statewide decriminalization. Police made over 11,000 arrests for simple possession of cannabis in 2023 alone!

The House already passed a legalization bill this year (HB 1200) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) included legalization in his budget proposal. While HB 1200 would have created a state-run monopoly on cannabis stores that would likely prove unworkable due to federal law, Sen. Dan Laughlin’s SB 120 sensibly relies on privately-owned stores, like every existing medical cannabis and legalization law. It also has provisions for expungement and release of cannabis prisoners.