As more states legalize recreational marijuana, movements are popping up calling to Pennsylvania to join them.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said that legalizing recreational marijuana would help balance Pennsylvania’s budget.
So we put the question to you, should Pennsylvania be the next state to legalize recreational marijuana?
Should Pennsylvania be the next state to legalize recreational marijuana?
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25 Responses
Republikkkans hate real liberty. PA would legalize if fully turned Democratic.
Please let us grow our own medicine!
If you drug tested all the teachers and politicians tomorrow in a surprise mandatory test, there would be a significant amount of them who would test positive for weed I’m sure. I have some friends who recently retired after 40 years in the teaching profession as high school teachers, they smoked weed on a regular basis their entire adult lives.It’s a no brainer to legalize it and tax it and take the criminal profit motive out of it, besides you would get better quality pot at a fair price.
One set of rules. We either think it is criminal to voluntarily self-administer intoxicants, or we do not. To sit with you gin in one hand a cig in the other poo-pooing someone who selects a different intoxicant than the important people have allowed us hypocrisy defined.
As long as our legislature is deep red, PA will never legalize it unless it is legalized nationally.
I know it should be legalized, it helps me with my adhd/bi polar, and depression. It helps me hold down a job and it helps me focus on my actions.
It’s absurd that it’s still illegal. There are so many reasons to legalize it. We all know about the tax benefits to recreational weed, but there are so many more benefits we don’t talk about as much.
First, jobs. Based on current trends, it’s estimated that the legal marijuana industry will create approx 250,000 jobs by 2020. PA has the opportunity to court a lot of those jobs if we get on the legalization train now.
It’d also go a long way toward crime prevention. Currently, weed comes from drug cartels, gangs, and other career criminals. And given that studies have shown approx 1 in 3 Americans uses it, that’s a lot of money funneling into those illegal sources. Let’s cut their funding. I’d much rather see that money going to local businesses than career criminals.
And yea, there’s that tax money. I live in the Poconos, and my property tax is stupid high. SB 76 has a lot of support, but all it really does is distribute the expense across multiple new taxes, while simultaneously cutting some funding for education. I’d much rather see marijuana tax money funding our education system. It’d bring my property tax down, and fund the school system, probably with money to spare.
If you agree, take the time to write or call your rep and let them know it’s more than good times and tax revenue. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/
The G is a typo
Please G, we are good people with damaged futures, the state increases debt and the charged individual(s). The state could use the extra money the legalized states are perfect successful examples. I agree with our State Auditor on legalization, decriminalization, taxation, and regulation.
You have to remember the alcohol and tobacco industries giving big money all over the country to keep it illegal
In 20 years we will look back on Cannabis prohibition and shake our heads in dismay. It is far time that we decriminalize this plant. The resources that we will save from prosecution make it well worth it. Being illegal only has made a black market just like alcohol prohibition did. Legalize, tax, and educate!
I definitely think it should be legalized. For benefits of state and the people people like me I got 17 months clean from meth which I was 3 gram a day addict plus pill. Half gallon of vodka a day. Sober for 15 months. None of which I could have done with out use of marijuana. I was legal patient in Colorado. Moved back to pa for my kids . Yes it’s been harder for me staying sober and clean since it’s illegal here . Can’t find or got deal with people I did for 20years as addict . I don’t even take aspirin nothing cause of my addiction but marijuana eases my pain from having part of my guts removed. AND HELPS Me WITH STRESS .
It is time to stop putting people in jail for marijuana. If legalized think of the two fold in taxes we whould get. One for the sale and two for the people working and not in jail! The time has come to get with it. And we better do it before the states around us do. We would gain a ton until they do the same!
@ Isaac L.
Adopting the option of initiative and referendum to change public policy, permitting citizens to directly introduce or approve proposed laws or constitutional amendments is what I’m eluding to. Twenty six states as well as Washington DC, offer initiative and/or veto referendum rights for their citizens. This is essential for PA to join these other states, they have chosen not to, which I deem unconstitutional.
The Commonwealth already have the most cost effective distribution centers in place – WIne and Spirit Stores
@ Dave – yes, the local agriculture industry would benefit too – Herr’s Snacks? Snyder’s? Tastycakes? Auntie Anne’s (which began as a farmers’ market stand in Downingtown)? Utz? Mallow Cups and Peanut Chews? Hershey? These food makers ought to be 100% behind this one!
Yeah why not…let’s end it being illegal. Prohibition ended and everything is ok now. In my opinion there would be less crime and so many people wouldn’t be in jail and it would be a good tax base. We would all be mellow and hungry 🙂
They keep talking about money to fix the roads and jobs yet cannabis will bring 20 billion dollars in 20 years that averages the 200 million dollars a year and close to 300,000 jobs in a decade hello wake up that’ll solve a lot of our problems in the state that could even help reduce taxes property taxes and other odds and ends yet they’re thinking about it wake up
Please make it legal I have had chrons disease since I was 16 I’m 30 now it honstly helps me live a better life but I can’t cause I don’t wanna be fined or jail time for helping myself and pills are not a option i won’t be be able to work and pay for my house it will do more good then you think
Fight for the right – What provision of the Commonwealth or Federal constitutions is being violated by not having a mechanism for citizen-initiated referenda? I assume you are referencing citizen-initiated referenda as there are already provisions in the PA constitution for referenda (e.g. bond issues, constitutional amendments).
Please allow for referendums to be put on PA ballots to be voted on by the citizens. For PA to not have this in place is unconstitutional. I think calling for a petition is a start.
I want someone to ask Wolfe about the fact that if your a PA state employee where federal “drug testing” guidelines are followed by the governors own OA policy how even with a PA medicinal cannabis card you will still suffer job loss because cannabis is federally a schedule1 drug. you will also suffer 2nd amendment loss just by having the card not to mention the 4th amendment violation by the drug test itself. (according to a law suit Pittsburgh police against drug tests) and many other law suits as well… so as long as its scheduled as schedule one even if you hold a medical cannabis card your screwed. even if you juice raw non decarboxylated or drink canna tea and experience no impairment at time of use (that is still not considered medicinal for some reason) but you will still show positive for several weeks. not to mention that tests do not show impairment at the time but only that a past use has occurred. does this mean that PA state employees who work in certain departments (not employees across the board, not managers or directors) whos unions allow for testing for employees working under the governors jurisdiction are NOT eligible for medical cannabis, well Governor what say you? BAD POLICY? just legalize in PA stop federal testing for thc in PA and keep pressuring for federal de scheduling of it! The solution is to simply treat it the same as beer although I cant think of any benefits of beer and I don’t know any successful drunks however I do know plenty of very successful intelligent cannabis users. were fed up with self appointed experts and politicians who have their policies written simply because they’re the loudest and the longest talkers in the room and were well aware of the greatest propaganda campaign ever perpetrated on America under the guise of the “war on drugs” from Harry Anslingers playbook.
Look at Colorado’s tax revenues. If we were the first state in this region to legalize, think of all the cross-border sales to NY, NJ, MD, OH… It would be a bonanza, until our neighbors wised up. Could retire that pension funding problem!
The ‘war on drugs’ is a failure.
Obviously PA should legalize recreational marijuana. But it won’t happen. Want to know why? Because Republicans are idiots and don’t want it to be legalized. And we can’t put referendums on the ballot in PA like you can in other states. GOP legislature could change that but nope. Good job Republicans, failing as usual.