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Pennsylvania lawmakers have held another hearing on marijuana legalization, this time focusing on criminal justice implications of prohibition and the potential benefits of reform.<\/p>\n
As the governor steps up his push for legalization, including the policy change in his budget request last month, members of the Health Subcommittee on Health Care and Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Corrections met to take up the issue on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are really well-positioned to move forward with legislation,\u201d Rep. Dan Frankel (D), chair of the full Health Committee who\u00a0previously sponsored cannabis legalization legislation,<\/a> said at the beginning of the hearing.<\/p>\n Rep. Rick Krajewski (D) stressed that criminal justice components of legalization and expunging prior records is one area lawmakers \u201creally need to get right, and get right on the first time, given what we know about the criminalization of cannabis and the ways it has impacted Black and brown communities, working class communities and the ways in which that record still carries a burden.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Emily Kinkead (D) said \u201cwe have criminalized whole groups of people for the use of marijuana at a far greater rate than we have other groups,\u201d referencing racial disparities in enforcement. \u201cNow the groups that did not get criminalized are making incredible profits off of legalized marijuana,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re going to be serious about legalizing cannabis we need to be serious about actually addressing the reality of criminal records,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Representatives of advocacy organizations, including the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), testified in favor of the reform. Bob Troyer, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, was among those who spoke against the proposal.<\/p>\n LPP\u2019s Frank Stiefel talked about the need to ensure that expungements are incorporated into any legalization model, saying \u201cwe would hope that the legislature takes our recommendation seriously to ensure that no Pennsylvanian continues to suffer the most harmful consequences of cannabis prohibition.\u201d<\/p>\n Chad Bruckner, a retired detective with LEAP, said that regulating cannabis \u201cobviously has much benefit so we can see exactly what\u2019s coming in and what\u2019s not,\u201d adding that the current system is a \u201cfree-for-all.\u201d<\/p>\n He also discussed his own experience using medical cannabis to transition away from alcohol and certain prescription drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can do amazing things for people if we regulate it, work together to control it and listen to people have gone through it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we can really do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Troyer, the former U.S. attorney, discussed his view that \u201cthere were many criminal impacts from commercialization [of marijuana] here in Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe black market out here did not go away or disappear as some hoped or thought or promised,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n Rep. Kathy Rapp (R), ranking member of the subcommittee, said that it\u2019s her understanding that any legalization legislation that comes from their discussions may now go to the Judiciary Committee, rather than the Health Committee, which could explain why Wednesday\u2019s meeting was a joint hearing.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a newly formed coalition of health professionals, law enforcement, researchers and cannabis stakeholders called ResponsiblePA put out a statement on Wednesday calling for adult-use legalization, and it said it intends to help inform lawmakers as they continue to explore the issue.<\/p>\n Rob Greene, Republican District Attorney of Warren County, said in the press release that \u201cas many as 66 percent of Pennsylvania voters support legalization.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday, Pennsylvania has the opportunity to build from the success of its medical cannabis program while ensuring full market access for regulated products,\u201d he said. \u201cJust as we do with medical cannabis, we can properly regulate adult-use marijuana with stringent health and safety standards backed by regulatory oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n David Nathan, co-founder of Doctors for Drug Policy Reform which is a member of the coalition, said the state \u201chas the opportunity to adopt best practices and international standards in the key areas of packaging and labeling, marketing, and other measures that will protect consumers, children, pets, and the public at large.\u201d<\/p>\n The Health subcommittee has met several times recently to discuss the issue. At their last hearing in February, members looked at the industry perspective<\/a>, with multiple stakeholders from cannabis growing, dispensing and testing businesses, as well as clinical registrants, testifying.<\/p>\n At the subcommittee\u2019s previous cannabis meeting in December, members\u00a0heard testimony and asked questions about\u00a0various elements of marijuana oversight<\/a>, including promoting social equity and business opportunities, laboratory testing and public versus private operation of a state-legal cannabis industry.<\/p>\n During the panel\u2019s first meeting late last year, Frankel said that state-run stores are \u201ccertainly an option\u201d he\u2019s considering for Pennsylvania, similar to what New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R)\u00a0recommended for that state last year<\/a>, though a state commission later\u00a0shied away from that plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Pennsylvania lawmakers have put forward legalization bills in the past, it\u2019s not clear what might serve as the vehicle for reform this year.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) once again proposed legalization as part of his budget request<\/a> last month, seeking to establish a system that would be implemented starting this summer. But while he suggested certain parameters such as having the Department of Agriculture regulate the program, there\u2019s not legislative text yet.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris (D) said in a recent interview that it\u2019s \u201chigh time\u201d to legalize marijuana and lay the groundwork for businesses in the state to export cannabis to other markets<\/a> if federal law changes\u2014and he sees a \u201creal opportunity\u201d to do so.<\/p>\n However, the committee\u2019s minority chairman, Rep. Seth Grove (R), said he\u2019s doubtful that the Democratic-controlled House will be able to craft and deliver legalization legislation that could advance through the GOP majority Senate.<\/p>\n \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) also recently complained that\u00a0Pennsylvania is being \u201clapped\u201d on marijuana policy<\/a>\u00a0as other states in the region enact legalization.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pennsylvania lawmakers recently advanced a pair of bills meant to\u00a0prevent police from charging medical cannabis patients with impaired driving<\/a>\u00a0without proof of intoxication.<\/p>\n A Republican state senator also says he will soon introduce legislation that would\u00a0remove barriers under state law to medical marijuana patients carrying firearms<\/a>.<\/p>\n In December, the governor signed a bill to allow all licensed medical marijuana grower-processors in the state to\u00a0serve as retailers and sell their cannabis products directly to patients<\/a>. Independent dispensaries could also start cultivating their own marijuana.<\/p>\n A poll released last month found that about\u00a0two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters in the state support enacting marijuana legalization<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hawaii Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears Another House Committee After Passing Full Senate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of WeedPornDaily<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Pennsylvania Joint Committee Takes Up Marijuana Legalization As Governor Renews Push For Reform<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania lawmakers have held another hearing on marijuana legalization, this time focusing on criminal justice implications of prohibition and the potential benefits of reform. As the governor steps up his push for legalization, including the policy change in his budget request last month, members of the Health Subcommittee on HealthContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":73373,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73374,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73372\/revisions\/73374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Pennsylvania Joint Committee Takes Up Marijuana Legalization As Governor Renews Push For Reform<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"