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Legalized marijuana for adult use in Pennsylvania has won another Republican supporter.
Senator Mike Regan, R-Cumberland / York, circulated a co-sponsorship memorandum signaling Regan’s intention to introduce legislation legalizing adult-use marijuana in the state. Regan explained his reasoning in a weekend guest essay distributed to newspapers in his Senate district.
Regan helped draft the state’s medical marijuana program in 2016 while he was a member of the state House of Representatives, noting that 500,000 people in Pennsylvania have received medical marijuana prescriptions since then.
“I want to build on the success of this program while ensuring its continued viability for the industry and its patients.
I also want to make sure that Pennsylvanians get their fair share of selling adult marijuana, not cartels and gangs whose profits are comparable to Fortune 500 companies, ”Regan wrote in her editorial.
Regan’s bill, which has yet to be tabled, would legalize use by adults 21 and older, establish a new regulatory oversight board much like the New York program, and remove penalties for it. adult use and possession of marijuana. Those who buy marijuana would see no change in their ability to buy guns. Regan also said his legislation would deal with DUI enforcement and develop education and deterrents for use and possession by minors.
According to the Regan legislative memorandum, which Regan filed on Monday, the money raised by his marijuana legalization program would benefit in part the Pennsylvania state police and invest in the state’s roads and bridges.
Pennsylvania Republicans have generally opposed marijuana legalization bills, some of which have been introduced since the early 1980s by Democrats. Governor Tom Wolf and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman have expressed their support for bills to legalize marijuana.
“For those who question my sponsorship of such legislation, it is important to recognize that the legalization of adult marijuana in Pennsylvania is inevitable,” Regan wrote. “As chairman of the Senate Committee on Law and Justice and a former member of law enforcement, rather than sit idly by and allow others to shape the law, I am mobilizing to become a leader on the question, as I did on medical marijuana. And I do this using a sensible, two-party, bicameral approach that will allow Pennsylvanians to access a safe product, create thousands of jobs, level the playing field with neighboring states, support the forces of order and our communities, and more importantly, to fund the deadly drug cartels that have wreaked havoc in the Commonwealth and our country for so many years.
Earlier this year, Senator Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, became one of the first Republicans to publicly support the legalization of marijuana in the state. Laughlin and Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, in February announced a joint plan to legalize adult cannabis, create a state-run system to grow and sell the drug, and clear records for related non-violent offenses cannabis. Laughlin and Street said the proposal also prioritizes license holders who have suffered disproportionately from the War on Drugs and encourages the growth of small operations.
“We will proceed with caution”, Laughlin said earlier this year. “It will take a lot of phone calls and emails to get through the committee process and stand for a vote. “
Legalized marijuana for adult use in Pennsylvania has won another Republican supporter.
Senator Mike Regan, R-Cumberland / York, circulated a co-sponsorship memorandum signaling Regan’s intention to introduce legislation legalizing adult-use marijuana in the state. Regan explained his reasoning in a weekend guest essay distributed to newspapers in his Senate constituency.
Regan helped draft the state’s medical marijuana program in 2016 while he was a member of the state House of Representatives, noting that 500,000 people in Pennsylvania have received medical marijuana prescriptions since then.
“I want to build on the success of this program while ensuring its continued viability for the industry and its patients.
I also want to make sure that Pennsylvanians get their fair share of selling adult marijuana, not cartels and gangs whose profits are comparable to Fortune 500 companies, ”Regan wrote in her editorial.
Regan’s bill, which has yet to be tabled, would legalize use by adults 21 and older, establish a new regulatory oversight board much like the New York program, and remove penalties for it. adult use and possession of marijuana. Those who buy marijuana would see no change in their ability to buy guns. Regan also said his legislation would deal with DUI enforcement and develop education and deterrents for use and possession by minors.
According to the Regan legislative memorandum, which Regan filed on Monday, the money raised by his marijuana legalization program would benefit in part the Pennsylvania state police and invest in the state’s roads and bridges.
Pennsylvania Republicans have generally opposed marijuana legalization bills, some of which have been introduced since the early 1980s by Democrats. Governor Tom Wolf and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman have expressed their support for bills to legalize marijuana.
“For those who question my sponsorship of such legislation, it is important to recognize that the legalization of adult marijuana in Pennsylvania is inevitable.” Regan wrote. “As chairman of the Senate Committee on Law and Justice and a former member of law enforcement, rather than sit idly by and allow others to shape the law, I am mobilizing to become a leader on the question, as I did on medical marijuana. And I do this using a sensible, two-party, bicameral approach that will allow Pennsylvanians to access a safe product, create thousands of jobs, level the playing field with neighboring states, support the forces of order and our communities, and more importantly, to fund the deadly drug cartels that have wreaked havoc in the Commonwealth and our country for so many years.
Earlier this year, Senator Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, became one of the first Republicans to publicly support the legalization of marijuana in the state. Laughlin and Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, in February announced a joint plan to legalize adult cannabis, create a state-run system to grow and sell the drug, and clear records for related non-violent offenses cannabis. Laughlin and Street said the proposal also prioritizes license holders who have suffered disproportionately from the War on Drugs and encourages the growth of small operations.
“We will proceed with caution”, Laughlin said earlier this year. “It will take a lot of phone calls and emails to get through the committee process and stand for a vote. “
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