Advocates believe recreational legalization is only a matter of time. The question is what it will look like.
Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg on July 26, 2023. Credit: Amanda Berg/Spotlight PA
The legislature returned from recess Monday in Harrisburg, and a new bill aimed at legalizing cannabis was introduced by a bipartisan pair of legislators, Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) and Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny).
Multiple cannabis legalization bills have been introduced across both chambers this session, of which House Bill 2500 is only the latest. None have been taken up by either the House or Senate yet, but advocates say that momentum is on their side. The trick will be figuring out the details.
“I think it’s really interesting and valuable to be having technical conversations,” said Brittany Crampsie, a spokesperson for Responsible PA, a pro-cannabis lobbying group that represents many of the companies currently operating medical dispensaries in Pennsylvania. “It’s not a matter of is Pennsylvania ever going to legalize? These technical questions are a matter of how and when.”
The provisions of House Bill 2500 have changed slightly since it was initially envisioned and its sponsors put out a memo on their intentions in June.
The bill would legalize cannabis for recreational adult use and place a tax on cannabis products. Revenue from those taxes would be distributed among several recipients, including municipalities that have cannabis dispensaries. Part of the tax proceeds would go toward a cannabis business establishment fund, and toward addiction prevention, recovery and treatment services. [Read More @ New Hope Free Press]
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