Some lawmakers in Harrisburg continue to press for legal cannabis, while a bipartisan measure to legalize cannabis for adults is stalled in the Pennsylvania State Senate.<\/p>\n
State Representative Morgan Cephas is asking the key question regarding House Bill 20 with what’s being called the clean slate provision when it comes to non-violent marijuana offenses.<\/p>\n
“I don’t want to see legalization unless there is some impact on those who’ve been arrested, whose lives have been changed,” Rep. Cephas (D) said.<\/p>\n
“There needs to be automatic assistance, and automatic relief is the No. 1 thing,” said Stephanie Shepard with the Last Prisoner Project.<\/p>\n
Shepard says she spent nine years in federal prison for a non-violent marijuana conviction. She says potential recreational legalization of cannabis should render past state convictions null and void.<\/p>\n
“Think how you would feel if you were serving a life sentence for what you just watched on TV,” Shephard argued.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the legalization of recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania, a recent poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research showed 72% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 64% of independents supported it.<\/p>\n
“We did our part in the House, but the Senate is still falling on the job,” Rep. Darisha Parker (D) said.<\/p>\n
Dead on arrival is what state Republicans are saying about attempts to approve recreational cannabis legalization, let alone exemption from criminal or civil penalties for cannabis convictions and expungements.<\/p>\n
The big sticking point remains who will run any dispensaries: the state or individuals.<\/p>\n
KDKA-TV reached out to Senate Republican leadership for comment on Monday’s hearing and is awaiting a response.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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