The legislation, which would legalize cannabis for adults and allow for regulated sales of recreational weed, was introduced on Friday by Republican Rep. Kaufer and Democratic Rep. Emily Kinkade, with 15 of their colleagues in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives signed on as cosponsors of the bill.
The legislation (House Bill 2500) tasks the Department of Agriculture with overseeing the production and sale of adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana, which was legalized in Pennsylvania in 2016. If passed, the measure would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess and buy up to 30 grams (just over one ounce) of marijuana. The bill allows medical marijuana patients to grow up to five cannabis plants at home, but the measure does not permit home cultivation of recreational weed, online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment reported on Friday.
The bill also includes provisions to prioritize participation in the regulated cannabis industry by small businesses including firms owned by veterans, women and minorities, as well as companies located in rural areas of Pennsylvania. The legislation mandates packaging, labeling and advertising rules for marijuana products to prevent marketing to children and teenagers.
The legislation also contains criminal justice reforms including a “clean slate” policy for those with marijuana-related convictions, CBS affiliate WTAJ reported. Relief under the proposal would include expungements, commutations and resentencing for cannabis-related convictions.
Adult-use cannabis sales would be subject to an 8% sales tax and an excise tax of 5%, with 30% of tax revenue generated by cannabis sales dedicated to a Cannabis Regulation Fund. The bill also dedicates 30% of tax revenue to a Cannabis Business Establishment Fund, 15% to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and 10% to drug treatment provided by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Local governments with cannabis businesses in their jurisdiction would get 10%, while the remaining 5% of revenue would go to support the state’s medical marijuana program.
Brittany Crampsie, spokesperson for the cannabis legalization advocacy group Responsible PA, hailed the introduction of House Bill 2500. The group noted that an economic analysis of the proposal conducted by national consulting firm FTI Consulting predicts that the legislation will lead to the creation of 30,000 jobs in one year as well as “an additional $4.2 billion in economic output, $2.6 billion in state GDP for the state, and $420 million in recurring tax revenue.”
“The majority of Pennsylvanians want a legal, adult-use market and the majority of states surrounding Pennsylvania have legalized marijuana,” Crampsie said in a statement from the group. “There are now viable bi-partisan proposals on the table today for the legislature to consider and there are no more excuses to wait.”
“We are pleased and applaud Representatives Kinkead and Kaufer who have taken the initiative to file this bill and renew our call on the legislature to pass legalization immediately upon the legislature’s return to Harrisburg in September,” she added.
Brian Vicente, founder of the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente LLP, says that “Pennsylvania’s legalization initiative shows the Commonwealth’s commitment towards modernizing cannabis policy in line with its neighboring states.”
“The new law includes pathways for expungements, commutations, and resentencing for cannabis-related convictions, which are vital to remediating the historical injustices of marijuana prohibition under the failed War on Drugs,” Vicente writes in an email. “If passed, this law could be a model for other states looking to balance economic opportunity with social justice and regulatory responsibility as they work to undo the damage done by generations of prohibition.”
Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro included cannabis legalization in his 2024 budget proposal, saying that marijuana should be “regulated and taxed responsibly” in Pennsylvania. After the general assembly failed to deliver the reform, Shapiro said in July that his administration and lawmakers would “come back and continue to fight” for marijuana legalization.