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Legal Weed Continues to Divide Pa. Republicans
DAUPHIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, JUL 21 – Budget deadlock continues as House Democrats and Senate Republicans dispute spending and marijuana regulation, risking missed payments for education and transit programs, officials warn.
- State Sen. Dan Laughlin and Democrat Sen. Sharif Street reintroduced bipartisan legislation last week to legalize adult-use marijuana for Pennsylvanians aged 21 and over.
- The reintroduction follows a split between House Democrats favoring a state-store sales model and Senate Republicans advocating for a private dispensary system to regulate and profit from legalization.
- Laughlin denounced the House bill for its state-store model, while medical dispensaries face a $100,000 permit fee to sell recreational cannabis, which advocates say may rise significantly during negotiations.
- Senate Republicans, including Appropriations Chairman Scott Martin and Majority Leader Joe Pittman, refuse to advance recreational marijuana bills this year, keeping legalization out of the current budget talks.
- This ongoing disagreement implies adult-use marijuana legalization will remain stalled without bipartisan Senate support, while budget negotiations continue separately amid calls to allow votes on transit proposals.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Legal weed continues to divide Pa. Republicans
HARRISBURG — Despite a pressing need for lawmakers to find new revenue sources, recreational marijuana won’t be part of this year’s state budget. But the long-running debate over legalizing the drug is still progressing in Harrisburg, now that a key state Senate Republican has finally unveiled a proposal. Whether his caucus will support it, however, remains an open question. The bipartisan bill, introduced by state Sens. Dan Laughlin (R., Erie) …
Legal Cannabis Would Be Overseen by New State Agency, Sold by Private Dispensaries under Key Republican’s Proposal
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Despite a pressing need for lawmakers to find new revenue sources, recreational marijuana won’t be part of this year’s state budget. But the long-running debate over legalizing the drug is still progressing in Harrisburg, now that a key state Senate Republican has finally unveiled a proposal. Article by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA Whether his caucus will support it, however, remains an open question. The bipartisan bill, intr…
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