{"id":125131,"date":"2026-02-27T14:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/125131\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:44:09","slug":"majority-of-pennsylvania-voters-back-legalizing-marijuana-new-poll-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/125131\/","title":{"rendered":"Majority Of Pennsylvania Voters Back Legalizing Marijuana, New Poll Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

A majority of Pennsylvania voters say they\u2019re ready for the state to legalize adult-use marijuana, according to the latest Quinnipiac University Poll.<\/p>\n

The survey\u2014which involved 836 registered voters in the Keystone state\u2014asked respondents about a variety of policy issues such as immigration, the minimum wage, AI data centers and cannabis legalization ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n

It found that 56 percent of voters are in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis, with 37 percent opposed.<\/p>\n

As in past polling, Democrats were the most likely to back legalization, at 72 percent. By contrast, 63 percent of independents support legalizing cannabis, while a majority of Republicans (63 percent) are opposed to the reform.<\/p>\n

The survey was conducted from February 19-23, with a +\/- 4.7 percentage point margin of error.<\/p>\n

Quinnipiac released the results<\/a> as Pennsylvania lawmakers once again consider proposals to replace marijuana criminalization with regulation. That includes a plan put forward by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as part of his latest budget request.<\/p>\n

Legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania under that plan could bring in nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue by 2028<\/a>, according to a new analysis from the state\u2019s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) that estimates a significantly larger cash windfall compared to projections from the governor\u2019s own office.<\/p>\n

With a proposed 20 percent wholesale cannabis excise tax, 6 percent state sales tax for retail and licensing fees, IFO said Shapiro\u2019s legalization plan that he unveiled earlier this month would generate $140 million in tax revenue in the first year of implementation from 2027-2028 and increase to $432 million by 2030-2031.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a much higher revenue estimate than\u00a0what the governor\u2019s office put forward in the latest executive budget<\/a>. According to that analysis, legalization would generate about $36.9 million in tax dollars in its first year from a 20 percent wholesale tax on marijuana\u2014rising gradually to $223.8 million by 2030-2031.<\/p>\n

Of course, the projections assume the legislature advances adult-use legalization in line with the governor\u2019s budget request and sales begin on January 1, 2027. It remains to be seen whether lawmakers will follow through on the reform this year, but it wouldn\u2019t be the first time marijuana legalization stalled out in the state if they don\u2019t act this session.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, this month, a coalition of drug policy and civil liberties organizations urged Shapiro to play a leadership role in\u00a0convening legislative leaders to get the job done on cannabis legalization this session<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a letter led by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and sent to the governor, the coalition noted that legalization has consistently made it into Shapiro\u2019s budget requests, \u201creflecting both sound fiscal policy and the clear will of the people of the Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania House Democratic lawmakers have separately\u00a0called on the GOP-controlled Senate to come to the table and pass a bill to legalize marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At a press conference earlier this month, three Democratic members of the House who have championed adult-use legalization stressed the need to move on reform, laying blame for inaction on the Senate where even supporters of the policy change have so far been unable to deliver on the issue.<\/p>\n

Reps. Rick Krajewski (D) and Dan Frankel (D), who sponsored a bill to\u00a0legalize with state-run shops that advanced through the House last year<\/a>, said they understand that the novel regulatory approach they envisioned may be \u201ccontroversial\u201d to some members, but that\u2019s all the more reason for the Senate to bring their own ideas to the conversation to finally enact the reform.<\/p>\n

House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) said in December that\u00a0legalizing marijuana is one way to create a \u201cvery important\u201d revenue source for the state<\/a>\u2014and that it\u2019s an achievable reform if only legislators could find \u201cthe will to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers who\u2019ve been working to enact adult-use legalization over recent sessions without success so far have also recently said that\u00a0President Donald Trump\u2019s federal marijuana rescheduling order could grease the wheels<\/a>\u00a0in 2026.<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, another top GOP senator\u2014Sen. Scott Martin (R), chair of the chamber\u2019s Appropriations Committee\u2014said in December that\u00a0he was skeptical about the prospects of enacting legalization in the 2026 session<\/a>, in part because of the federal classification of cannabis that\u2019s now expected to change. Of course, marijuana would still be federally illegal under Schedule III, so it\u2019s unclear if a simple loosening of the law would move the needle enough from his perspective.<\/p>\n

\u2014
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.
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\u2014<\/p>\n

A top aide to Pennsylvania\u2019s governor said in September that\u00a0lawmakers should stop introducing new competing legalization bills<\/a>\u00a0and instead focus on building consensus on the issue\u2014while emphasizing that any measure that advances needs to contain equity provisions if the governor is going to sign it into law.<\/p>\n

Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), for his part, said in August that the House \u201cneeds to\u00a0pass the language in my bill and send it to my committee<\/a>\u201d after which point he \u201ccan negotiate with the Senate and the governor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The senator separately said recently that supporters are\u00a0\u201cpicking up votes\u201d to enact the reform this session<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, bipartisan Pennsylvania senators in October introduced a bill that would\u00a0allow terminally ill patients to use of medical marijuana in hospitals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Separately, the leading Republican candidate in the race to become the next governor of Pennsylvania\u00a0dodged a question about her stance on legalizing marijuana<\/a>\u2014saying she doesn\u2019t have a \u201cpolicy position\u201d on the issue and arguing that the sitting governor\u2019s proposal for reform \u201cway, way overstated\u201d potential revenue.<\/p>\n

The candidate, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), pointed to neighboring Ohio, which launched its own adult-use cannabis market this year, saying \u201cthey generated about $115 million in revenue.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0And while the populations of both states are relatively comparable, Shapiro\u2019s budget\u00a0projected $536.5 million in cannabis revenue in the first fiscal year<\/a>\u00a0of implementation.<\/p>\n

She did, however, say that if Pennsylvania moves forward on enacting the reform, she\u2019ll \u201cmake sure that it\u2019s banked appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania Democratic senator recently said that federal marijuana rescheduling\u00a0would be \u201cvery influential\u201d in advancing legalization in his state<\/a>, giving \u201cpolitical cover\u201d to GOP members on the fence about reform.<\/p>\n

Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, due largely to GOP opposition. But not all Republican members are against the policy change\u2014and one recently said she felt her party should\u00a0seize the \u201copportunity to snatch\u201d the issue from Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/p>\n

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.<\/p>\n

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