Bipartisan efforts are being led in the state House and Senate to legalize adult cannabis use in Pennsylvania. 

Two new proposals to legalize adult cannabis use have been put forward in the Pennsylvania Senate and House, and both are bipartisan efforts. 

Senate Bill 120 is being led by Republican Senator Dan Laughlin and Democratic Senator Sharif Street. House Bill 20 was introduced by Democratic Representative Emily Kinkead and Republican Representative Abby Major. 

Both pieces of legislation include incentives for small businesses that are owned by women, minorities, and veterans to open dispensaries across the Commonwealth. 

In a recent interview, Senator Street said he believes the program’s bicameral support gives it a good chance to pass in Pennsylvania.

“The strong bicameral support for this bill not only reflects a shared commitment across both legislative chambers, but also greatly enhances the likelihood that it will successfully move through the full legislative process and be enacted into law. This level of cooperation demonstrates the broad recognition of the bill’s importance and its potential impact on our communities,” he said. 

Representative Major said in a recent interview that an adult use program in Pennsylvania is “inevitable”.

New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Ohio have all legalized marijuana use for adults within the past four years. 

“They’re raking in a lot of money from Pennsylvanians driving across the border,” she said. 

In February, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro proposed his budget plan that would include an adult-use cannabis program. The proposal claims Pennsylvania would see $536.5 million in revenue from such a program in its first year. 

The governor’s budget proposal includes several marijuana initiatives, including $10 million for a restorative justice program, $25 million for the state Department of Agriculture to help small businesses enter the industry, $15 million to the department for operations, $2.25 million for the Pennsylvania State Police towards enforcement and expungement, and $1.5 million to the state Department of Revenue for administration. 

In 2016, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program was signed into law. Pennsylvanians are also permitted to purchase certain cannabis products from smoke shops, such as CBD. 

CBD is used to treat conditions such as anxiety and insomnia. It can also be used to treat seizures in some people. The product has less than 0.3% THC, which is the chemical in the plant that causes mind-altering side effects. 

“Here in Pennsylvania, you can go to a vape shop and buy intoxicating hemp products with THC in them, and it’s totally unregulated. And that’s something that also needs to be addressed, which we address in our bill,” Major said.

House Bill 20 would require any potentially intoxicating cannabis products to be sold only at licensed dispensaries. 

Both the Senate and House bill propose putting recreational marijuana sales under the purview of dispensaries. 

House Bill 1200, the legislature’s previous effort to legalize recreational cannabis in the state, failed in May.