Today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro gave his annual budget address, in which he called for marijuana to be legalized.
“I ask you to come together and send to my desk a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis and expunges the records of people who have been convicted for nonviolent possession of small amounts of marijuana,” said Shapiro. “I know some are going to say it’s complicated, but it’s been talked about for years. And just in the last two years, Ohio to our west, Maryland to our south, have legalized, and we keep falling further behind.”
Shapiro said “I’ve been heartened by the fact that more and more Republicans and Democrats are coming on board, embracing liberty and economic opportunity. Let’s get it done.”
Last week House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D) expressed confidence that legalization could move forward this session, saying “Yes, our numbers are close, but we are confident that we can get our numbers together and show that there is a path forward on cannabis.”
Under current Pennsylvania law, possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana is a potential misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, unless the individual has a valid medical marijuana authorization. The potential jail sentence increases to 12 months if possessing over 30 grams.
