Another Pennsylvania Lawmaker Files A Marijuana Legalization Bill, Saying It Will Bring ‘Unprecedented Economic Opportunity’

A Democratic Pennsylvania House lawmaker has officially filed the latest
marijuana legalization bill to enter the legislature, introducing a
companion measure to a proposal that bipartisan senators unveiled last week.

Rep. Amen Brown (D) circulated a cosponsorship memo for his legislation on
Monday, describing a reform proposal that he says reflects “the strong
support of two-thirds of Pennsylvanians across rural, suburban, and urban
districts.”

“While Pennsylvania has made significant strides in legalizing medical
marijuana, adult-use legalization would provide more access for patients
who benefit from marijuana but may not qualify under current medical
marijuana criteria,” he said. “Legalization also helps strengthen the
state’s marijuana infrastructure, ensuring that both medical and adult-use
programs can operate safely and efficiently.”

Brown announced last week that he intended to file a companion version of a Senate
bill sponsored by Sens. Dan Laughlin (R) and Sharif Street (D), who have
long championed legalization in the state.

The House did approve a different legalization bill earlier this session,
with controversial provisions to provide for state-run stores that a Senate
committee ultimately rejected.

“Legalizing marijuana enables the state to regulate the industry, ensuring
that products are tested for safety, purity, and potency,” Brown said in
the new memo. “This approach not only protects consumers but also combats
the unregulated black market, where safety standards are non-existent.”

“It would help end the criminalization of marijuana users, particularly in
communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by
marijuana-related arrests. By removing the penalties for adult-use and
possession, we reduce the burden on law enforcement and the court system.
Additionally, we can provide pathways to expunge prior marijuana
convictions for individuals who have been arrested for possession in the
past, allowing them a fairer chance at employment and participation in
society.”

“Legalizing marijuana presents an unprecedented economic opportunity for
Pennsylvania,” the lawmaker said. “As states like Colorado and Illinois
have demonstrated, legal marijuana markets generate revenue, create
thousands of jobs, and support new businesses.”

He added that Pennsylvania is currently “surrounded by states that have
already legalized adult-use marijuana, including New Jersey, New York,
Ohio, Delaware, Connecticut, and Maryland.”

“Legalization in these states has not only boosted their economies but has
also reduced the strain on local law enforcement agencies. As these
neighboring states continue to benefit from legalization, it is vital that
Pennsylvania follows suit to remain competitive and prevent the outflow of
tax revenue and economic opportunities across state lines.”

“However, it is essential to carefully consider the taxation structure for
adult-use marijuana. Taxing adult-use marijuana at 26 percent will likely
continue to drive individuals to the illicit market as well as to
surrounding states with more competitive pricing,” he said, seemingly
referencing the governor’s own legalization proposal that was not
ultimately incorporated into the state’s biennial budget. “An overly
burdensome tax rate undermines the legal market’s ability to compete and
incentivize consumers to transition away from unregulated sources.”

The sponsors of the Senate version described the basic framework they’re
proposing in their own cosponsorship memo in February. The measure as
introduced is also supported by four other senators, all Democrats.

Brown’s memo and bill filing comes days after Reps. Emily Kinkead (D) and
Abby Major (R)—alongside eight other cosponsors—introduced their own
adult-use legalization measure. The pair have previously championed other
proposals to end prohibition.

“By failing to legalize, Pennsylvania is sending millions in needed revenue
to other states and failing to address generations of injustice done in
communities as a result of the criminalization of recreational cannabis,”
Kinkead said in a press release. “This bipartisan legislation was crafted
with considerable input from stakeholders at every level and reflects the
strong support for legalization among Pennsylvanians.”

Major added that “Representative Kinkead and I have worked diligently to
craft a piece of legislation that we believe both parties can get behind
using lessons learned from the other 24 states that have already done so.”

“Anyone who believes in personal liberty and fiscal responsibility for
Pennsylvania should support the legalization of adult-use cannabis,” she
said.

Separately, Laughlin and 16 other lawmakers 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.

Laughlin previewed the measure in May, writing that Pennsylvania should
first take steps to make sure the state is “ready to act when legalization
becomes law” by establishing a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) now.

Street, who is also one of the original cosponsors of the bill, said
recently that he was working with bipartisan and bicameral lawmakers to
develop a passable marijuana legalization measure as the legislature
approached a budget deadline—telling supporters at the time that “we’re
getting close” and they shouldn’t “ease up” on the fight.

“There are some basic things that we know we need to have done,” he said.
“We need to make sure when we pass a recreational adult-use bill that we
seal and expunge the records of all those people who’ve been who’ve had
cannabis convictions in the past.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) previewed that marijuana
legalization would not be included in the 2026 budget as lawmakers
approached the deadline he expected they would miss. Ahead of the deadline,
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) held out hope that negotiators can “get it done.”

“We’ve had really good, honest dialogue about it,” the governor, who
separately criticized the Senate for abruptly derailing the House marijuana
legalization bill, said.

“Look, I think this is an issue of competitiveness,” he said. “Every state
around us, with the exception of West Virginia, has gotten it done. You go
visit some of these dispensaries along our border—in this case with
Maryland, [that] is probably the closest one here. Sixty percent of the
people walking into those dispensaries are from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.”

Also, in May, Sen. Marty Flynn (D) announced his intent to file a new bill
to legalize marijuana in the state, calling on colleagues to join him on
the measure.

While the House legislation Krajewski sponsored alongside Rep. Dan Frankel
(D) was rejected in a Senate committee following its expedited passage
through the House along party lines, Street said he’s “cautiously
optimistic we’re going to be able to revive the bill and amend it and move
forward with a work product that allows us to get a bill on the governor’s
desk and realize revenue.”

Following the Senate committee vote, lawmakers from both chambers who
support legalization have been trading criticisms about each other’s roles
in the stalled push to end prohibition.

Krajewski, for example, recently wrote in a Marijuana Moment op-ed that Senate
Republicans who killed his House-passed cannabis legalization bill are
“stuck in their prohibitionist views of the past” and are “out of touch
with the will of our Commonwealth.”

Prior to that vote, Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general said that
while he doesn’t currently support the House-passed marijuana legalization
bill, he’s open to changing his mind about the policy change after
continuing to review the details.

For what it’s worth, 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.

The governor has repeatedly called for adult-use marijuana legalization.
However, he hasn’t endorsed the specific idea of having a state-controlled
model.

GOP lawmaker Major—who is sponsoring another forthcoming legalization bill that
envisions a traditional private sales model alongside Democrat Kinkead—said
during the House floor debate on HB 1200 that she stands opposed to the
competing bill, emphasizing that she disagrees with the state-run stores
proposal.

While Democrats control the House and governor’s office, they will still
need to reach a deal with the GOP-controlled Senate to effectuate change.
And in addition to the conflicting perspectives among pro-legalization
legislators, another potential barrier to reform is exactly that political
dynamic.

Regardless of which direction Pennsylvania lawmakers do—or don’t—go on
marijuana legalization this session, a survey released in April shows a
majority of adults in the state support the reform—and opposition to the
policy change has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the last decade.

Kinkead has made the case in another recent interview that legalizing
cannabis in Pennsylvania will help the state mitigate public health and
safety concerns associated with the illicit market, including the fact that
unregulated products can be laced with fentanyl.

The lawmaker previously introduced a separate bipartisan marijuana
legalization bill, alongside 15 other cosponsors, last September. It did
not advance, however.

Meanwhile, Laughlin recently called for the creation of a state “legacy”
fund, using tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales and gaming to make
long-term investments in the Commonwealth’s economy.

The senator argued that, beyond using any resulting tax revenue to fund
day-to-day projects and public services, the state should earmark a portion
of those tax dollars for a fund to “provide a sustainable source of
prosperity that lasts for generations.”

Another GOP Pennsylvania senator, Sen. Gene Yaw (R), is backing the push to
legalize marijuana in the commonwealth, pointing out that, historically,
prohibition “has not turned out well,” noting the country’s experience with
alcohol criminalization.

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) recently said that Democrats
are ready to pass a marijuana legalization bill this session, but that the
party “will need Republican support” to get the job done—adding that it
will be a “heavy lift.”

Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the
reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, owing in large part 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.

Separately in March, the Pennsylvania House approved a bill sponsored by
Frankel that’s meant to strengthen safety standards and oversight of the
state’s medical marijuana program as lawmakers work to advance adult-use
legalization.

While Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program was enacted nearly a decade
ago, lawmakers say the measure, which now heads to the Senate, is necessary
to improve testing compliance, product audits and lab inspections, among
other aspects of the industry.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers recently introduced a bill
that would allow farmers and other small agriculture operators to sell
marijuana they cultivate to existing growers and and processors if the
state moves to legalize adult-use cannabis.

Separately, an independent Pennsylvania agency is projecting more tax
dollars to be generated from adult-use marijuana sales compared to what the
governor’s office has estimated, although it expects significantly less
overall revenue from cannabis legalization due to differing views on
licensing fees.

Pennsylvania officials have also launched a new survey that invites legal
marijuana businesses across the country to provide information about their
operations to help the state better understand the cannabis industry as
lawmakers consider enacting adult-use legalization this session.


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Also, in a video interview released in March, the governor emphasized that the
state is “losing out” to others that have already enacted adult-use
legalization, while maintaining a policy that’s enriched the illicit market.

“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,” he 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.”

The state’s agriculture secretary separately told lawmakers that he’s fully
confident that his department is in a “really good” position to oversee an
adult-use marijuana program if lawmakers act.

Meanwhile, in February, top Pennsylvania police and health officials told
lawmakers they are prepared to implement marijuana legalization if the
legislature moves forward with the reform—and that they stand ready to work
together as the details of legislation to achieve it are crafted.

Amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, a GOP
state senator said prohibition has been a “disaster,” and a regulated sales
model for cannabis—similar to how alcohol and tobacco are handled—could
serve as an effective alternative.

A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently defended the push to
legalize and regulate marijuana, calling it “the most conservative stance”
on the issue.

*Photo courtesy of Max Pixel.*

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Saying It Will Bring ‘Unprecedented Economic Opportunity’ appeared first on Marijuana
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