“We need to legalize marijuana.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered that message to Pennsylvania lawmakers during his budget address Tuesday afternoon.
Not legalizing recreational marijuana will cost the state financially, especially as neighboring states have given it the green light, he said.
“Last year, 57% of voters in Ohio supported an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. And now, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland – practically all of our neighbors – have legalized marijuana,” he said. “We’re losing out on an industry that, once fully implemented, would bring in more than $250 million in annual revenue.”
“It’s time to catch up,” he added.
In addition to the extra money, Shapiro said not legalizing and regulating the marijuana market “fuels the black market and drains much needed resources for law enforcement.”
After his speech, Shapiro took to social media to further bang the drum for legalization.
“The legislature must act quickly to ensure the Governor’s priority is enacted and Pennsylvania remains competitive in the cannabis sector,” said Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition executive director Meredith Buettner, in a statement. “The establishment of a well-regulated adult-use cannabis market built on the experience and infrastructure of the current medical marijuana program will add thousands of jobs, reap millions of dollars in investments for Pennsylvania, and stop the revenue bleed to neighboring adult-use states.”
Neighboring states like New Jersey are heavily advertising the availability of legal marijuana in their jurisdictions. Plenty of billboards for Garden State cannabis shops dot the sides of I-95, even though it’s still illegal for Philly residents to cross back into Pennsylvania after purchasing weed in NJ.
How effective Shapiro’s advocacy with legislators will be remains to be seen. In November, the PA House held its first subcommittee meeting on legalization, with critics saying the potential negative consequences of approving adult use marijuana outsize any economic benefits.
