{"id":76282,"date":"2024-06-13T09:14:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T17:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/06\/13\/pennsylvania-lawmakers-step-up-push-for-marijuana-legalization-with-emphasis-on-social-equity\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T12:45:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T20:45:47","slug":"pennsylvania-lawmakers-step-up-push-for-marijuana-legalization-with-emphasis-on-social-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/06\/13\/pennsylvania-lawmakers-step-up-push-for-marijuana-legalization-with-emphasis-on-social-equity\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Lawmakers Step Up Push For Marijuana Legalization, With Emphasis On Social Equity"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pennsylvania lawmakers are stepping up their push to pass a marijuana legalization bill, emphasizing the need for bipartisan and bicameral collaboration to enact the reform with a focus on social justice.<\/p>\n

At a \u201cCannabis Day at the Capitol\u201d rally hosted by DACO and Black Cannabis Week on Tuesday, several legislators underscored their commitment to advancing legalization in the Keystone State.<\/p>\n

Rep. Chris Rabb (D) gave an impassioned speech, stating that lawmakers \u201cdon\u2019t talk about the history that put prohibition on this place\u2014and if we don\u2019t acknowledge the context in which this policy was radically changed in the 1930s, then we don\u2019t do justice to the fight today. And that policy change was born out of racism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll say it again, because these are words that a lot of my colleagues don\u2019t want to use\u2014because it may seem impolite or controversial or problematic\u2014but you know what\u2019s more problematic? Racism itself,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are here today because there was a time when this plant was associated with people who were marginalized and victimized to benefit other industries who are afraid of cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rabb also seemed to draw a line in the sand on the need to incorporate social equity provisions into any legalization bill that advances, saying it\u2019s going to be \u201creally hard to get 102 votes in the House\u201d if the legislation primarily favors \u201cwealthy people\u201d who \u201cplay around the margins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this legislation that ultimately is enacted into law is not centered on social equity\u2014and when I say social equity, I don\u2019t just mean Black and brown folks. I mean rural folks, folks with disabilities, the law enforcement community, farmers, all kinds of folks\u2014this doesn\u2019t just happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sen. Sharif Street (D), who has championed legalization legislation over recent sessions, also participated in the rally, echoed Rabb\u2019s points, saying \u201can essential part of passing adult-use is it\u2019s gotta be making sure that they seal and expunge the records of all those folks who are convicted of cannabis crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe gotta make sure that Black and brown business folks have a have an opportunity to participate in the recreational adult-use,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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The time has come to legalize cannabis, and any bill must center restorative justice for years of disparate enforcement of our cannabis laws, which imprisoned and impedes the upward mobility of Black and brown communities. #MondayMotivation<\/a> #legalizePA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Skt2OgjdV2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator Sharif Street (@SenSharifStreet) June 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D) said that while Pennsylvania might not be one of the first states to legalize, \u201cwe\u2019re going to be the first to do it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Brittany Crampsie, spokesperson for ResponsiblePA, told Marijuana Moment that, as lawmakers \u201cconsider adult-use legalization in this year\u2019s budget, voters and reform advocates across the state are urging the legislature to pass adult-use cannabis legalization now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential that our state no longer trails its neighbors in implementing equitable laws around cannabis,\u201d she said, adding that the organization commends legislators who participated in Tuesday\u2019s event \u201cfor calling on their peers in both chambers for leadership and consensus-building at this critical time.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the rally only featured Democratic lawmakers, ResponsiblePA organized a separate event last month where Sens. Dan Laughlin (R), who is sponsoring cannabis legislation with Street, said the state is \u201cgetting close\u201d to legalizing marijuana, but the job will only get done if House and Senate leaders sit down with the governor and \u201cwork it out.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to work it out, and that doesn\u2019t happen in a vacuum,\u201d Laughlin said, adding that while he understands Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has\u00a0again included legalization in his budget proposal this year<\/a>, \u201cyou need to sit down with House and Senate leadership and try and work out a package where we can get this done.\u201d<\/p>\n

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We are working toward not just for legalization of adult-use cannabis, but also for expungement of cannabis-related criminal charges and an equitable distribution system that embraces diversity and promotes small legacy providers.#legalizePA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ztuGRnjZOk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator Sharif Street (@SenSharifStreet) June 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Warren County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Robert Greene, a registered medical cannabis patient in the state,\u00a0 also spoke at that rally. In January, Greene filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn a ban preventing medical marijuana patients from buying and possessing firearms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, last month the governor\u2019s office said that the Biden administration\u2019s move to federally reschedule marijuana \u201cadds support\u201d for an effort to legalize cannabis in Pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two Pennsylvania House panels\u00a0held a joint hearing to discuss marijuana legalization in April<\/a>, with multiple lawmakers asking the state\u2019s top liquor regulator about the prospect of having that agency run cannabis shops.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Also in April, members of the House Health Committee had a conversation centered on social justice and equity considerations for reform<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That took place days after Rep. Amen Brown (D)\u00a0filed a marijuana legalization bill that he described as \u201cgrounded in safety and social equity.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m here to get this done,\u201d Brown said at this week\u2019s rally, noting that he and other people he knows have a \u201cpersonal experience\u201d with current marijuana policy.<\/p>\n

At a prior meeting in March, members focused on\u00a0criminal justice implications of prohibition and the potential benefits of reform<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At another\u00a0hearing 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

And 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

The cannabis proposal the Brown filed in the House in April is an identical companion to a bipartisan Senate cannabis legalization measure<\/a>\u00a0that was introduced last year.<\/p>\n

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Doctor\u2019s Lawsuit Over Psilocybin For Cancer Patients Will Be Argued This Summer, With Separate Rescheduling Case Headed To Mediation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Pennsylvania Lawmakers Step Up Push For Marijuana Legalization, With Emphasis On Social Equity<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Pennsylvania lawmakers are stepping up their push to pass a marijuana legalization bill, emphasizing the need for bipartisan and bicameral collaboration to enact the reform with a focus on social justice. At a \u201cCannabis Day at the Capitol\u201d rally hosted by DACO and Black Cannabis Week on Tuesday, several legislatorsContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":76283,"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\/76282"}],"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=76282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76284,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76282\/revisions\/76284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}