New Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana In PA Introduced

PENNSYLVANIA — A new bill to legalize recreational marijuana has been introduced in the Pennsylvania state legislature.

House Bill 2050 proposes making legal marijuana part of Pennsylvania's economy, taxing growers and directing funds to a variety of social programs.

It's not the first such bill to be introduced in Pennsylvania. Just last fall, southeastern Pennsylvania State Senators Daylin Leach (D-17) and Sharif Street (D-3) introduced a similar bill in the state senate: Senate Bill 350. That bill has not yet made progress out of the Rural and Agricultural Affairs Committee since Oct. 31, 2019.

>>Bill Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Introduced In PA Senate

The sponsor of the new house bill, Pittsburgh-area State Rep. Jack Wheatley (D-19), said that legalizing marijuana has broad support from Pennsylvanians. A 2019 Franklin and Marshall poll showed that 59 percent of residents supported this sort of bill.

“With one bill, we can accomplish a great deal here in Pennsylvania," Wheatley said in a statement. "Undo the damage that’s been caused for over 40 years by an overzealous criminal justice system intent on criminalizing people for minor drug offenses, and create a comprehensive marketplace to legally sell cannabis to adults.

In addition to decriminalizing recreational marijuana, Wheatley's new bill would create money for the state through a permitting structure for growers, processors, and dispensaries. The funds would go to after-school programs for youth, student loan forgiveness, and affordable housing.

In addition the bill includes the Cannabis Clean Slate initiative, which expunges all marijuana-related offenses from the records of non-violent drug offenders.

Even if legalizing marijuana enjoys support from a majority of voters, a bill like this must get through a Republican-controlled house that may not be in favor of it. Chair of the Health Committee Kathy Rapp (R-65) is staunchly opposed to legalization, and voted against legalizing medical marijuana. The Health Committee would have to hear the bill before it moved forward.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has long been an outspoken supporter of such legislation, and Gov. Wolf himself stated last fall that he supports legalization.

Wheatley's full report on legalizing marijuana and further details on his legalization can be found here.

Editor's note: a previous version of this story included that typo saying State Sen. Andy Dinniman had introduced legalization legislation in the state house. That is incorrect. It was State Sen. Daylin Leach.