{"id":78099,"date":"2024-10-02T10:41:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T18:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/10\/02\/top-gop-pennsylvania-senator-voices-support-for-marijuana-decriminalization-activist-who-spoke-with-her-says\/"},"modified":"2024-10-02T19:46:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T03:46:17","slug":"top-gop-pennsylvania-senator-voices-support-for-marijuana-decriminalization-activist-who-spoke-with-her-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/10\/02\/top-gop-pennsylvania-senator-voices-support-for-marijuana-decriminalization-activist-who-spoke-with-her-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Top GOP Pennsylvania Senator Voices Support For Marijuana Decriminalization, Activist Who Spoke With Her Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A top GOP Pennsylvania senator who has long expressed concerns about marijuana legalization told advocates on Tuesday that she\u2019s against arresting people over cannabis, noting that the policy change could protect her son and disclosing that if it weren\u2019t for marijuana, she might not have met her husband, according to an activist who spoke with her.<\/p>\n

As Pennsylvania\u2019s legislature reconvenes amid rising pressure to enact legalization, advocates view the comments from Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R) as a positive sign that the dam on cannabis reform measures might be weakening in the commonwealth.<\/p>\n

Ward is \u201cin the position of being the bottleneck of any bills that are going through as far as marijuana reform legislation goes,\u201d Chris Goldstein, a longtime advocate who serves as a regional organizer for NORML and discussed the issue with Ward, told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has been one of our loudest opponents in many ways, and she has told many activists and fellow legislators that she simply will not let things go through\u2014and has followed through with that promise for many years,\u201d he said. And while there are multiple bipartisan modest and comprehensive cannabis reform measures on the table in Pennsylvania this session, \u201cthey don\u2019t move\u201d in large part due to Ward\u2019s role in commanding the agenda, Goldstein said..<\/p>\n

But something seems to have shifted. Weeks after former President Donald Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee, voiced support for federal- and state-level cannabis reforms, the Pennsylvania Senate leader expressed that she\u2019s more amenable to ending low-level marijuana arrests.<\/p>\n

Goldstein paraphrased Ward as telling the group of advocates that \u201cI should get behind that\u201d and \u201cthat would mean my son wouldn\u2019t get arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Sen. Ward told ua several times she supports ending cannabis arrests; that her son wouldn\u2019t be arrested \u2026srsly welcome and totally unexpected<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Goldstein (@freedomisgreen) October 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u201cEverybody just sort of kind of cracked a grin. And she goes, \u2018Yeah, yeah, I could get behind that,’\u201d he said. \u201cThen she stops at the door, she comes all the way back and she goes, \u2018Let me tell you guys a funny story.\u2019 And she puts her arm up on the tall counter there and she goes, \u2018My husband and I would never have gotten married if it weren\u2019t for marijuana,\u2019 insinuating that they had smoked a bunch together and then decided to get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

The senator said it was a \u201cmistake,\u201d but \u201cthat\u2019s the truth\u2014we would have never gotten married if it weren\u2019t for marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen she stops at the door and she goes, \u2018No, really. When it comes to stopping marijuana arrests, I can get behind that. Have a great day,’\u201d Goldstein recalled. The activist also recently compiled data showing that more than 12,000 people were arrested for cannabis possession<\/a> in the Keystone state last year.<\/p>\n

Marijuana Moment reached out to Ward\u2019s office for comment, but a representative was not immediately available.<\/p>\n

Goldstein\u2014who received a pardon from President Joe Biden for a federal cannabis possession offense and met with Vice President Kamala Harris at a roundtable event at the White House to discuss marijuana clemency\u2014said he feels the Pennsylvania senator\u2019s comments represent another example of the growing bipartisan consensus around reform, indicating that lawmakers may finally have a pathway to send a cannabis bill to the desk of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).<\/p>\n

Advocates also held an event at the statehouse in Harrisburg on Tuesday to lobby for legalization.<\/p>\n

\n

Meanwhile, last month Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R) and Emily Kinkead (D) formally introduced a bipartisan marijuana legalization bill<\/a>, alongside 15 other cosponsors.<\/p>\n

In July, the governor of Pennsylvania said the administration and lawmakers would\u00a0\u201ccome back and continue to fight\u201d for marijuana legalization<\/a>\u00a0and other policy priorities that were omitted from budget legislation he signed into law that month.<\/p>\n

A poll released last week found that strong majorities of Pennsylvania voters in five key tossup districts are in favor of legalizing marijuana in the state\u2014and they want to see lawmakers enact the reform imminently<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At a press briefing in July, the chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus seemed to\u00a0temper expectations about the potential timeline of passing legalization legislation<\/a>, pointing out that the rest of the session will likely be too politically charged heading into the November election to get the job done this year.<\/p>\n

Other lawmakers have\u00a0emphasized the urgency of legalizing as soon as possible given regional dynamics<\/a>, while signaling that legislators are close to aligning House and Senate proposals.<\/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.
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a report commissioned by activists projected that\u00a0Pennsylvania would see up to $2.8 billion in adult-use marijuana sales in the first year<\/a>\u00a0of implementing legalization, generate as much as $720 million in tax revenue and create upwards of 45,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

Sens. Sharif Street (D) and Dan Laughlin (R) also participated in an X Spaces event in June where\u00a0they said the votes are there to pass a marijuana legalization bill as soon as this year<\/a>, though they stressed that the governor needs to work across the aisle to get the job done\u2014and argued that it would be helpful if the federal government implemented its proposed cannabis rescheduling rule sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

Street was also among advocates and lawmakers who\u00a0participated in a cannabis rally at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in June<\/a>, where there was a significant emphasis on the need to incorporate social equity provisions as they move to advance legalization.<\/p>\n

Laughlin, for his part, also said an event in May that the state is \u201cgetting close\u201d to legalizing marijuana, but\u00a0the job will only get done if House and Senate leaders sit down with the governor and \u201cwork it out.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Warren County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Robert Greene, a registered medical cannabis patient in the state, filed a lawsuit in federal court in January seeking to\u00a0overturn a ban preventing medical marijuana patients from buying and possessing firearms<\/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

Also in April, members of the House Health Committee had a\u00a0conversation centered on social justice and equity considerations for reform<\/a>.<\/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

Last year, Shapiro signed a bill to allow all licensed medical marijuana grower-processors in the state to\u00a0sell their cannabis products directly to patients<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Separately, Pennsylvania\u2019s prior governor separately\u00a0signed a bill into law in July 2022 that included provisions to protect banks and insurers<\/a>\u00a0in the state that work with licensed medical marijuana businesses.<\/p>\n

\n

Florida Marijuana Legalization Campaign Releases Ad Highlighting Trump, Harris, Walz And Vance\u2019s Shared Opposition To Criminalization<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Top GOP Pennsylvania Senator Voices Support For Marijuana Decriminalization, Activist Who Spoke With Her Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: Top GOP Pennsylvania Senator Voices Support For Marijuana Decriminalization, Activist Who Spoke With Her Says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A top GOP Pennsylvania senator who has long expressed concerns about marijuana legalization told advocates on Tuesday that she\u2019s against arresting people over cannabis, noting that the policy change could protect her son and disclosing that if it weren\u2019t for marijuana, she might not have met her husband, according toContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":78100,"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\/78099"}],"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=78099"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78101,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78099\/revisions\/78101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}