Latest news with #AbbyMajor
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Pennsylvania Lawmakers File Recreational Cannabis Legalization Bills
Pennsylvania lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the state Senate have introduced separate ... More bills to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Pennsylvania could be the next state in the union to legalize recreational marijuana after lawmakers introduced two bipartisan legalization bills in the state legislature. On Monday, Democratic state Rep. Emily Kinkead and Republican Rep. Abby Major introduced a bill to end the prohibition of cannabis, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment. If passed, House Bill 20 would legalize and regulate personal cannabis possession and use by adults. The measure would also establish the Keystone Cannabis Authority and task the new agency with regulating the medical and adult-use cannabis industry in Pennsylvania. The legislation also includes provisions to regulate the production and distribution of cannabis products and levies a sales tax and an excise tax on such goods. Additionally, the bill creates a Community Opportunity Fund to foster social and economic equity, among other provisions. On Monday, cannabis policy reform advocate Brit Crampsie, spokesperson for the group ResponsiblePA, said the cannabis legalization bill would help Pennsylvania lawmakers balance the state budget. 'The state needs to close a growing budget gap,' Crampsie said in a press release cited by online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment. 'Communities across this state would benefit immensely from the jobs brought by regulated cannabis as laid out in this bipartisan piece of legislation—this includes both rural and urban communities that are getting hit hard by the lack of funding for essential state programs from transportation to healthcare systems—as well as looming federal funding cuts.' 'Voters clearly want legalization now and cannot afford drastic tax hikes,' she added. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed separate legislation to legalize recreational marijuana on May 10. The measure, House Bill 1200, would have legalized cannabis sales for adults through a network of state-run cannabis dispensaries, but a Senate legislative committee declined to advance the measure. Senate Weed Legalization Bill Introduced Last Week The introduction of Kinkead and Major's bill came only days after a bipartisan pair of state senators introduced separate legislation to legalize recreational cannabis in Pennsylvania, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2016. If passed, the measure (Senate Bill 120) from Republican Sen. Dan Laughlin and Democratic Sen. Sharif Street would 'create a regulated, equitable framework for cannabis use, cultivation and sales, while merging oversight of both medical and adult-use programs under a new independent Pennsylvania Cannabis Control Board.' Pennsylvania lawmakers legalized medical cannabis in 2016. 'Adults should have the freedom to use cannabis responsibly, and Pennsylvania should have a legal system in place that ensures safety, accountability and fairness,' Laughlin said in a press release. 'This legislation delivers that while keeping marijuana out of the hands of kids.' Street said the legislation also focuses on repairing past harms caused by decades of marijuana prohibition. 'This plan legalizes cannabis in a way that lifts up communities impacted by prohibition,' Street said. 'It includes expungement of low-level offenses, creates real opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses and reinvests in neighborhoods most harmed by past enforcement.' Laughlin and Sharif's bill got a boost last week when Democratic Rep. Amen Brown announced he would soon introduce a companion measure in the House of Representatives. The lawmaker said he 'fully' supports the new Senate bill because he has 'seen firsthand the devastating impact of outdated cannabis laws on our communities, particularly communities of color.' 'This legislation is about more than economic opportunity; it's about justice, equity, and creating a responsible framework that benefits all Pennsylvanians,' Brown said, according to a July 12 report from GoErie. 'I'm proud to stand in bipartisan partnership to move our Commonwealth forward.' After Brown signaled his intention to introduce the cannabis legalization bill, Laughlin said his colleagues in the Senate could no longer ignore the issue. 'I firmly believe that if the House passes our language, that we have a path to get this done,' he said.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Unveil Recreational Cannabis Legalization Plan
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers has announced plans to introduce a bill to legalize recreational ... More marijuana in Pennsylvania. A bipartisan pair of Pennsylvania lawmakers this week unveiled a plan to legalize recreational marijuana, nine years after the Keystone State legalized cannabis for medical use. Democratic Rep. Emily Kinkead and Rep. Abby Major, a Republican, released highlights of the cannabis legalization plan on Monday in a memo seeking cosponsors for an upcoming bill. 'This bipartisan legislation reflects strong support for legalization across the Commonwealth and the input of stakeholders at every level,' the memo reads, online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment reported on Wednesday. 'Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation as we work to move cannabis legalization forward in Pennsylvania.' In the memo, the lawmakers acknowledged Pennsylvania's 'robust' medical cannabis program. They added, however, that 'all but one of our neighboring states have legalized recreational adult-use cannabis.' Kinkead and Major wrote that one of those neighboring states, Ohio, legalized recreational marijuana for adults via a ballot initiative that voters approved in 2023. After regulated sales of adult-use cannabis began last year, they added, the state collected $15.5 million in taxes on recreational marijuana in the first three months of regulated sales. 'It is well past time for Pennsylvania to move in a similar direction, and our proposed legislation represents a bipartisan path to legalize adult-use cannabis, establishing strong tenets for an adult-use market,' they said. 'And perhaps most importantly, this bill is not just about legalization, it's about setting up a stable, well-regulated market that prioritizes public safety and public health, protects children from exposure, promotes social justice, and fosters economic opportunity.' The bipartisan pair of legislators offered key features of an upcoming bill, the text of which has not yet been released. The plan includes establishing an independent commission to regulate both recreational and medical cannabis in Pennsylvania. Stated goals of the program include inclusive economic growth, justice reform, consumer protection and support for law enforcement and local governments, among others. Passing a cannabis legalization bill in Pennsylvania, they wrote, 'would not only boost local economies and create upwards of 30,000 new jobs, but also create a new revenue stream for our state, allowing us to reinvest in essential services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.' 'Moreover, this bill ends the blanket criminalization of marijuana users, particularly in communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis-related arrests, while providing a robust pathway for those individuals and communities to participate in and benefit from the legal market,' the memo continues. 'Legalizing marijuana within this framework allows the industry to be regulated, ensuring that products are tested for safety, purity, and potency,' Major and Kinkead wrote. 'Legalization provides an opportunity to implement public health education, prevent misuse through responsible marketing and regulation, and ensure that marketing efforts are designed to avoid targeting children, with strict age verification measures in place.' Pennsylvania lawmakers legalized medical cannabis in 2016 with the passage of Senate Bill 3, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Tom Wolf in April of that year. Regulated sales of medical marijuana began in February 2018. Legalizing recreational marijuana, however, has so far not been supported by the Pennsylvania legislature. Earlier this month, however, Democratic House Speaker Joanna McClinton said that legalizing recreational cannabis could give the state a new stream of tax revenue. 'Most House Democrats support [marijuana legalization], though we will need Republican support for passing a bill this massive,' McClinton said at an event sponsored by the progressive nonprofit group Represent PA. 'It's going to be a heavy lift.' Late last year, a pair of Democratic lawmakers released their plan to legalize recreational marijuana, saying the state is an 'outlier' in its continued prohibition of cannabis. Pennsylvania state Reps. Rick Krajewski and Dan Frankel, who led several hearings on cannabis reform during the past legislative session, said they plan to introduce legislation to decriminalize cannabis and create a regulated market that focuses on public health, raises revenue for the state and supports those harmed by the criminalization of marijuana. Also in December, Democratic state Rep. Danilo Burgos announced plans to introduce a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana without legalizing recreational cannabis sales. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has indicated his support for legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults. Last month, he said that Pennsylvania is 'losing out' by keeping recreational marijuana illegal. 'I think it's an issue of freedom and liberty. I mean, if folks want to smoke, they should be able to do so in a safe and legal way,' Shapiro said. 'We should shut down the black market—and, by the way, every state around us is doing it. Pennsylvanians are driving to those other states and paying taxes in those other states.' If Pennsylvania legalizes recreational marijuana, it will join the 24 states that have legalized cannabis for adults.
