Pennsylvania may become the next state to allow adults to use recreational marijuana as its state legislature moves forward with a bill to expand its legalization.
Why It Matters
Recreational marijuana has been legalized in 24 states so far, and more than a dozen others allow adults to use medical marijuana in certain circumstances. Pennsylvania Democrats are pushing for the state to become the next to legalize recreational marijuana. Legalization has even spread to some GOP-leaning states like Missouri in recent years.
Proponents of marijuana legalization argue that Americans should be free to use marijuana products if they choose to do so, but critics have raised concerns about health and societal consequences of its legalization.
What to Know
Pennsylvania’s Cannabis Health & Safety Act passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday on party lines, bringing it one step closer to allowing legal marijuana for recreational purposes. Medical marijuana has been legal in the Keystone state since 2016.
Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has been supportive of marijuana legalization but hasn’t commented on the specific bill, which would allow for its sale in state-run dispensaries.
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Newsweek reached out to Shapiro’s office for comment via email.
The battle to legalize marijuana has played out in state legislatures over the past decade. Colorado was the first state to legalize it in 2012, and a flurry of states has followed ever since.
Medical marijuana is legal in most, but not all, states, though each has specific limitations and requirements for its medical use. Some states, like Georgia, have legalized the possession of low-THC oils, but not the broader use of marijuana.
Here is a look at where its legalization stands in each state.
What People Are Saying
Pennsylvania State Representative Rick Krajewski, a Democrat, said in remarks reported by WPMT: “We have listened carefully to public health experts, criminal justice reformers, small business advocates and community leaders. Our bill reflects what we’ve learned — that we can and must legalize cannabis in a way that is safe, equitable and beneficial to all Pennsylvanians.”
Pennsylvania State Representative Charity Grimm Krupa, a Republican, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “This shady, rushed process is designed to ram through a massive policy change before members, stakeholders, and the public have had a chance to review, discuss, or understand the consequences. I am sounding the alarm because Pennsylvanians deserve a real voice and real transparency in decisions of this scale.”
What Happens Next
In Pennsylvania, the bill must now pass the Senate and receive the signature of Governor Shapiro to become law. The wider debate over marijuana legalization continues to play out both at the national level and in various states. Other states like Hawaii have also considered legalization this year, but it is unclear whether those bills will succeed.