By MARK SCOLFORO and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvanians 21 or older would be allowed to legally purchase and use marijuana under a bill that passed the state House on Wednesday, the first time a recreational cannabis proposal has been approved by either legislative chamber.
Democrats voted unanimously to advance the multifaceted bill to the Senate over unified opposition from Republicans, just as lawmakers are working out which issues will be part of the budget-season dealmaking that occurs every year at this time in Harrisburg.
The proposal was touted by the main sponsor, Democratic Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia, as a “balanced, responsible and robust framework” that will create jobs, ensure a safe product and maintain affordable prices for consumers. He noted that there were about 12,000 simple possession arrests in the state last year.
Republicans expressed concern that legalization will increase marijuana usage, cause health issues and create safety problems at workplaces. Several pointed out that marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
“The myth that this will only make cannabis available to adults is to deny reason and logic,” said Rep. Marc Anderson, a York County Republican. He predicted that “kids will get weed illegally, and it will be more dangerous.”
The bill seems likely to see changes if senators decide to act on it. Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie County, a leading Republican on the issue, said on social media after the vote that there is “no path forward in the Senate for a state store model for adult-use cannabis.”
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed legalizing recreational marijuana in his budget, counting on more than $500 million in revenue during the first year, primarily through licensing fees. He is looking for new sources of cash to pay Medicaid bills, bolster struggling public transit agencies and help the poorest public schools.
The proposal would direct that sales be managed by the state-owned liquor store system, but they would occur not at the liquor stores themselves but in other retail outlets. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board would set prices and regulate how cannabis is produced, tested, transported and sold.
Some of the new tax revenue would go to help historically disadvantaged communities, with other portions designated to combat substance abuse, boost minority business development and pay for expunging marijuana-related convictions.
Rep. Tim Bonner, a Mercer County Republican, argued that the expungement mechanism would improperly impinge on the state courts, but Democratic backers said they were confident the provision will withstand legal scrutiny.
Under the bill, drivers who are not considered impaired but have traces of marijuana in their blood would not be subject to driving-under-the-influence charges. State residents would be allowed to grow a small number of plants if they obtain a home cultivation permit.
There are 24 states that currently allow recreational marijuana and 14 others that permit it only for medical purposes. Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana in 2016 for patients with certain qualifying conditions and the assent of a physician.
Democratic state Sen. Sharif Street of Philadelphia, who supports legalization, said the House bill lacks majority support in the Senate. A pair of bills that languished during the last legislative session called for a much different public sales method, involving state licensing of private retail dispensaries.
Chris Goldstein, the Pennsylvania regional organizer for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said opponents of putting marijuana sales in the hands of the liquor store system consider the House bill a centralized approach that would not do much to foster small businesses.
“This is so far away from anything we see in other states, it’s just not something that consumers are familiar with,” Goldstein said. “That’s not what people want.”