Pennsylvanian cannabis reform proponents are unsure if the state will legalize cannabis this year amidst silence from the Pennsylvania Capitol regarding the drug’s future. Dozens of states have already legalized cannabis and currently generate billions of dollars in sales taxes every year, making legalization an attractive prospect for Pennsylvania which is projected to lose its budget surplus this year.
Despite the lack of official news regarding cannabis legalization, reform proponents and lawmakers have already begun pitching ideas for how cannabis reform would look in the state. These ideas include selling marijuana in state-owned retail stores or allowing licensed independent retailers to sell the drug.
With many of them offering a variety of ideas for legalization, there have been conflicts regarding how the state could move forward with cannabis reform. Lawmakers have conflicted over the regulation and organization of a recreational marijuana market as well as how to handle the inclusion of restorative justice policies to make up for the harsh sentences handed down due to prohibition.
State Representatives Rick Krajewski and Dan Frankel support creating state-owned marijuana stores and have issued a memo to other lawmakers seeking support. They still haven’t introduced a legalization bill, however.
As the House Health Committee chair, Frankel has been a key player in marijuana legalization and says that he supports state-owned stores as they would provide stability to the new cannabis market and protect Pennsylvanians from the repercussions of for-profit cannabis. Krajewski noted in a recent interview that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would be able to create a state-owned model for cannabis as it already uses a similar model to sell alcohol.
He said that while supply and on-site consumption still provide adequate opportunities, incorporating a stable public store model could help balance the industry’s volatility. Although Pennsylvania wasn’t the first state to consider a state-owned store model for cannabis, legal concerns discouraged other states from implementing the idea.
Marijuana Policy Project Director of State Policy Karen O’Keefe says state employees working in these stores would be breaking federal law as federal regulators still classify cannabis as a Schedule I drug with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. State employees who are compelled to work in state-owned cannabis stores could run afoul of federal law.
State Senator Dan Laughlin on the other hand supports a model that would allow licensed medical marijuana companies to sell recreational cannabis. Despite being a Republican, Laughlin is a staunch supporter of legalizing adult-use cannabis and currently chairs the Law & Justice Committee. He and Senator Sharif Street sponsored a measure to create a board that would approve cannabis sellers and oversee the industry last session.
The marijuana industry, including major firms like Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), hopes that any decisions that the lawmakers make in relation to changing marijuana policy in the state will reflect the wishes of the people.
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