Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says his effort to legalize recreational marijuana is still alive, even as the state budget remains more than eight weeks overdue.
Shapiro, a Democrat, told reporters Monday that legal marijuana—along with taxing skill games—remains a central part of his plan to help close the budget gap. “I’m not going to concede on any of those fronts,” he said.
Shapiro included a call for legalization in his February budget address, saying “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”.
Shapiro added “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. 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.”
Republican leaders have so far resisted including legalization in budget talks, and the debate is becoming a campaign issue in the race for the next governor. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the leading Republican candidate, recently said she has no “policy position” on the matter.
Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill to legalize adult-use marijuana through a system of state-run stores. The measure, however, stalled when the Senate refused to take it up, with Republican leadership showing little interest in advancing the reform. This followed a familiar pattern in Pennsylvania, where legalization bills have managed to pass one chamber but ultimately failed to clear both.
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