Skip to main content

Marijuana Legalization Bill Coming Soon to Pennsylvania

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #771)

Pennsylvania will likely be the next state to see a marijuana legalization bill introduced this year, as state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-King of Prussia) announced at a Monday press conference that he would be filing one shortly.

After voters in Colorado and Washington approved marijuana legalization last November, the push is now on at the statehouse. Legalization bills have already been filed in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and bills are also expected shortly in Maine and Vermont.

The bill will propose a system of taxation and regulation of marijuana commerce.

"This past November, the people of Washington State and Colorado voted to fully legalize marijuana," said Leach. "It is time for Pennsylvania to be a leader in jettisoning this modern-day prohibition, and ending a policy that has been destructive, costly and anti-scientific."

Supporting the bill were drug reform groups and public health professionals.

"Our nation can acknowledge the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana while still permitting their use," said Dr. David Nathan, MD, clinical associate professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "The only logically and morally consistent argument for marijuana prohibition necessitates the criminalization of all harmful recreational drugs, including alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. We can agree that such an infringement on personal freedoms is as impractical as it is un-American. The time has come to accept that our nation's attitude toward marijuana has been misguided for generations and that the only rational approach to cannabis is to legalize, regulate and tax it."

"Cops see the ineffectiveness and harms of marijuana prohibition up close, every day," said Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore narcotics cop and the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. "Keeping marijuana illegal doesn't significantly reduce use, but it does give tax-free profits to violent gangs and cartels that control the black market. Now, thanks to Sen. Leach's proposal, Pennsylvania has a chance to join Colorado and Washington in letting police focus on the job we signed up to do -- keeping the public safe -- instead of being distracted by chasing down marijuana users."

"NORML applauds Sen. Leach for taking this important step forward to end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in his state. Pennsylvania has long been considered a bellwether state that sets the precedent for politics across the country, as such it is both exciting and encouraging to see the Keystone State take up this crucial dialogue," said Erik Altieri, Communications Director for NORML, "Marijuana prohibition costs the state of Pennsylvania over $300 million a year in enforcement costs and tens of millions a year in lost potential tax revenue, while doing little to keep the substance out of the hands of children or lower use rates. It is time for a new policy that works for the state and its people. We encourage all of Sen. Leach’s colleagues in Harrisburg to join him in this call for rational marijuana laws."

It could be an uphill battle. Leach spent the last two sessions trying to get medical marijuana bills passed, to no avail, and that was with strong public support for medical marijuana. A recent Franklin and Marshall College poll had support for medical marijuana at 82%, but support for legalization at only 36%. That's up 14 points from 2006, but still well below majority support.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymous8675309 (not verified)

I'm sure PA can put that 300k to better use than what their doing now!!! What other states will follow??
Mon, 02/11/2013 - 7:36pm Permalink
weedmax (not verified)

If a proposal for encouraging harm reduction equipment reforms is added, this initiative could be an important step.  Start by acknowledging that Hot Burning Overdose Monoxide "Smoking" is the #1 single cause of death, illness, character deformation and productivity loss on the planet today, and aim to "REDUCE USE" by abolishing the "cigarette", "joint", "blunt", "beedi" "kretek" etc. by hastening the manufacture, marketing and use of 25-mg-per-lightup ONE-HITTERS (choomette, kiseru, midwakh, sebsi), e-cigs, vaporizers by both cannabis and tobacco inhalant user populations.   This switch to vaporization can take the "steam" out of fears that cannabis would suddenly harm health, society or anything other than $igarette profits.

Because the demonization of cannabis and catastrophic prohibition costs proceed from the longstanding attempt to protect jobs and profits of workers and officers in the corporate tobacco industry, let us recognize that those interested parties will have to be paid off-- let the government Bail Out Philip Morris as they did GM and certain banks; retrain tobacco farmers to raise a more sustainable crop (such as trees); use the cigarette rolling machines to roll up potting soil plus potseed in a planting unit known as Brownspliff, etc.

In the long run economy depends on climate which depends on TREES.  Some connections to climate change: (1) deforestation is the #1 cause of climate harm because trees are everywhere the custodians of fresh water and regional rainfall; (2) cigarettes are one of the top causes of deforestation-- for example, in the third world, tobacco is cured for use in inhalant cigarettes by burning billions of hardwood logs to heat tobacco leaves at 160F for seven days; (3) cannabis is an excellent precursor crop for trees; (4) tobacco (now widely planted where trees used to be) and especially corn are good precursor crops for cannabis; (5) fitted cannabis stalk pieces can replace much present-day hardwood flooring, particleboard and  other lumber uses; (6) cannabis seeds are top nutrition for bird species which spread seeds and pollinate many other plant species too, etc.

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 9:40pm Permalink
kickback (not verified)

Pennsylvania , like the rest of America , will not escape the flush of the " Big Green Tsunami " .  Even the state of Georgia will get its bath . How much "supreme medicinal cannabis " would it take to supply the old  adults in Florida for the next 20 years ? Either you put your green tsunami britches on or you run to the hills . Reality is reality .

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 7:06am Permalink
Greg Houston (not verified)

Ok Pennsylvania it's time we had a talk here. Under current laws what good has come from them? You or someone you know may have criminal charges or served time or may still be over what? A plant that has a insane amount of medical uses and that your brain in wired to use the chemicals of. We could use the money this would generate and the jobs it would create and don't forget about eliminating the criminal element. Just tonight on the news I saw a kidnapping, two drunk drivers killing someone and a police chief being investigated by the FBI. You know what I didn't see someone on marijuana doing any of the crimes. This state is stuck in a bullshit reefer madness era mindset. We need to educate people better about the real facts of marijuana and remove its stigma. I challenge anyone to prove  to me that the drug war is being won and that alcohol and cigarettes hell even coffee and peanuts are safer then marijuana. I don't have to worry about anyone trying due to the fact that anyone with Google and five minuets will find that they don't stand a snowballs chance in hell of proving me wrong.What they do stand a chance of is finding out they have been lied to there whole life. This is the information age yet no one tries to use it cause there to bizzy trying to find out about the next iphone or who's on Facebook posting cats with dumbshit typed around them. Yet there the same people saying all marijuana users are lazy stoners and to defend there argument they have no facts to back it up. Truth is the people that are still buying this reefer madness bullshit are the lazy ones because they choose not to do the research and still buy into this outdated mindset and keep real research from being done on a plant that holds more medical uses then any drug ever made in a lab. Corbett is the worst offender of this because in his words "It's a gateway drug and would veto any legislation concerning marijuana" which has been medically proven to be wrong and that over 82% of the state feels medical would be accepted so what's that say about the education of the man that represents us? It say he don't give a shit what the people want and doesn't care enough about the issue to even research the damn thing.Sounds alot like what people accuse stoners of being lazy and uneducated don't it? 

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 10:14pm Permalink
William Aiken (not verified)

In reply to by Greg Houston (not verified)

@Greg Houston

Bravo on capturing the apathetic nature of those who defend the reefer madness notion of prohibition. Posters and bloggers need to be challenged when they make these flippant remarks about the motives of those critical of the war on pot. The best way to combat this ignorance is to ask them a question: "Why do you care what the reason is someone chooses to in-hale?" That question is usually never answered but posing it can start a dialog to dismantle or discredit the arguments supporting this insane prohibition of pot.   

 

Wed, 02/13/2013 - 12:31am Permalink
Raymond Huot (not verified)

In reply to by Greg Houston (not verified)

You're making VERY valid points all over this posting. But please, please do us all the favor and use spell check. You are someone who is speaking out for a community/populace staking claims that there are lazy uneducated people within our government but cannot articulate ones self in clear whole sentences. You are creating a huge contradiction within your own writings. Seriously, busy..not bizzy

Sat, 05/11/2013 - 1:20am Permalink
saynotohypocrisy (not verified)

"Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?"

Doesn't even make clear they're talking about legal for adults. And not a word about other regulations, or taxation.

But that 82% in favor of MMJ in PA! Something is very defective in our democracy when behavior can be criminalized against the overwhelming will of the people like this.

Wed, 02/13/2013 - 12:53am Permalink
oldwob (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymous17554 (not verified)

1. contact your state senator and urge them to co-sponsor and/or support Leach's bill.  If they don't hear from their constituents, they will fear there is no political cover.

2. throw a couple bucks at folks like Stop the drug war.

3. write letters to your local papers.

Thu, 02/14/2013 - 9:10pm Permalink
Matt1484 (not verified)

Look how much money the state would be sitting on. Plus look at how many jobs it will create. Open your eyes people we might finally live in peace soon. To all the haters out there. Why do u care what people do? Start complaining about alcohol or tobacco not a harmless plant that makes you happy and calm. It's almost like the world wants us to be pissed off all the time and be forced to drink alcohol because are other option is illegal. People love America because its a "free" but it's not free when you have to have your hand held by a government and told what you can and can't do in your own home
Fri, 02/15/2013 - 5:32pm Permalink
Peter crossly (not verified)

In reply to by Matt1484 (not verified)

well stated MAtt me and my marijuana do not hurt anyone I should be free to smoke as i please why should anyone be able to tell me different 

Sun, 02/17/2013 - 11:35am Permalink
Peter crossly (not verified)

when are these polls and votes taking place the problem is a majority of people that want this law passed are working and the people voying against them are seniors at home who are not concerned about this situation I want to make change in my state as wll as open up new job opurtinities for the state

Sun, 02/17/2013 - 11:32am Permalink
Mike Bell (not verified)

I think that marijuana should be legalized.

Sun, 03/03/2013 - 1:35pm Permalink
Anonymoussss (not verified)

Time To Legalize Cannabis! Lancaster Hemp Rally will be held on May 4th, 2013 from 3:30 – 4:30 pm on Penn’s Square, Downtown Lancaster City, Pa. Rallies in York and Reading will be announced. To learn more go to the FB page for Pennsylvania Hempland Security and look for the event’s page.

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 8:21pm Permalink
realistic in pa (not verified)

senator leach has the right idea but unfortunately he's only looking to grab headlines. if you want to be realistic medical marijuana would have to be the first obstacle to cross and Pennsylvania is still in the dark ages. it doesn't surprise me a lot of our local governments are still ran in the old Quaker ways. for god sake look around we still have towns that have the old blue laws of not being allowed to sell alcohol. medical marijuana is the first step to legalization which I truly believe will work
Sun, 01/26/2014 - 9:30am Permalink
Anonymous1234 (not verified)

In reply to by realistic in pa (not verified)

"senator leach has the right idea but unfortunately he's only looking to grab headlines."  That's SUCH an unfair statement.  Senator Leach is putting himself out there every day, trying to get Pennsylvania citizens the RIGHT to use a naturally growing plant as they see fit.  Why must legalization be snuck in the back door of medical marijuana?  Why can't we just legalize it, decriminalize it, and let people enjoy it???  Anyone of legal age can obtain enough alcohol to kill himself at any given time, but those who choose to enjoy marijuana must hide in the shadows like heroin users.  It's all bullshit.  Arrogant fat cat politicians sitting around drinking martinis and dictating who can or can't smoke weed.  What a crowd of hypocritical ass clowns.

Wed, 07/16/2014 - 2:36pm Permalink
realistic in pa (not verified)

although senator leach has the right idea unfortunately he's only looking to grab headlines. if you want to be realistic look around Pennsylvania has always been a backwards state still run by Quaker rules. for god sake we still have towns that prohibit the sale of alcohol. the only true chance of legalizing marijuana in this state is the first allow medical use. we're still behind the times in that. when that bridge is crossed then I'll truly believe there's a chance we can legalize it
Sun, 01/26/2014 - 9:35am Permalink
Chris Lawrence (not verified)

I am so fed up with the busybody mentality in this country.   I resent being told by people that I don't know or care about    --dictating what I can put into my own body  through legislation.   I also resent being treated as though I am still 13 years old.   If I use responsibly and do not endanger anyone else it should only be my choice.   However,    medical marijuana is a step in the right direction.

Tue, 10/28/2014 - 7:04pm Permalink

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.