A new bipartisan push to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania is facing long odds in the state Senate.
Republican Senator Dan Laughlin and Democrat Sharif Street introduced the bill Thursday. It would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over, allow limited possession, expunge non-violent convictions, and tax products at 6 percent plus an 8 percent excise tax. Laughlin says the revenue could help balance the budget without raising taxes. But Senate GOP leader Joe Pittman says there’s no support in his caucus to include marijuana legalization in the ongoing budget talks. The proposal follows the Senate’s recent rejection of another cannabis bill from House Democrats, which would’ve sold marijuana through state-run stores, a deal-breaker for many Republicans.
Governor Josh Shapiro and most Democrats support legalization, but it continues to stall in the GOP-controlled Senate. Recreational cannabis is now legal in 24 states, including all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors except West Virginia.
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