Bill Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Introduced In PA

"The economic imperatives are too great...we have a moral mandate," bill co-sponsor State Sen. Sharif Street said.

By Justin Heinze, 

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PENNSYLVANIA — A bill that would legalize recreational marijuana was introduced in the Pennsylvania state senate this week.

Senate Bill 350 would allow anyone 21 and over to consume cannabis, while establishing cannabis lounges and freeing those imprisoned on certain cannabis-related charges.

"Prohibition has destroyed too many lives and has cost the taxpayers way too much," State Sen. Daylin Leach(D-17) said in a statement Wednesday. Leach is a co-sponsor. State Sen. Sharif Street (D-3) is also a co-sponsor.

"There's a long road ahead. Medical Marijuana took a long time to pass as well, but together we did that, and we'll do this too. I hope other legislators of both parties will join us in listening to the will of the people, and ending this horrific policy of prohibition once and for all."

The lawmakers, who have been drafting the bill for nearly a year, say it's about more than just making marijuana accessible to residents. In a statement, they cited the potential economic boon in legalization, money saved from law enforcement prosecuting marijuana crimes, and justice for those convicted of cannabis-related offenses.

"It is time for us to join the emerging cannabis economy...The economic imperatives are too great," Street added. "We also have a moral mandate to correct the damage that disparate enforcement of our marijuana laws has done and is still doing to communities across the commonwealth."

Street and Leach say that marijuana prosecution results in some 25,000 Pennsylvania residents being put through the criminal justice center per year, and that those individuals are "disproportionately people of color," despite use rates being identical with that of Caucasians.

Not all marijuana-related charges would be wiped out. Only convictions for three charges — possession of cannabis, possession of cannabis paraphernalia, and possession with intent to deliver under one ounce — would be wiped clean. Anyone imprisoned on those three charges would be freed, and pending charges would be dismissed.

The bill's language aims to create a"micro-licensing" process for prospective growers which is designed to empower those from "underserved and distressed areas" which have been disproportionately harmed by prohibition.

The bill also calls for tax revenue from marijuana to be directed to the state's public education fund.

That money would then be disbursed to school districts through the state's fair funding formula.

It's not yet clear how much support the bill has in the conservative Pennsylvania state legislature, though Leach and Sharif point to a 2017 poll that shows 60 percent of residents would support ending marijuana prohibition.

Gov. Wolf has thrown his support behind the bill, making a public statement last month. "We now know the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of legalization, and that includes me," he said.

Lt. Governor John Fetterman recently concluded a statewide listening tour that included a trip to all of the state's 67 counties in an effort to gain feedback from residents. Takeaways from the tour are included in the report, which is available here.

Eleven states around the nation, along with Washington D.C., have now legalized marijuana use, and 33 have legalized it for medicinal purposes, including Pennsylvania in 2016.