Watch Street\u2019s comments, starting around 39:08 into the video below:<\/p>\n
Discharge resolutions<\/a> are placed on the Senate calendar but are not automatically brought up for consideration; that is within the discretion of majority leadership. If a resolution is brought up and supported by a majority vote, however, the legislation in question would then be brought out of committee.<\/p>\n Republicans currently hold a 27-23 majority in the chamber.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that this discharge resolution does not compel the committee to report the bill,\u201d Street said on Monday. \u201cI understand that it may not force a vote, but it does force a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt asks a simple question: if a bipartisan bill has the support of every member of the Senate Democratic caucus, was introduced with a Republican prime sponsor, has the support of the governor, has the support of a majority of Pennsylvanians, and now has demonstrated bipartisan momentum in this chamber, why shouldn\u2019t it at least receive an up or down vote?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Senate should not fear debate, we should not fear democracy and we should certainly not fear allowing our colleagues to vote on an issue that has been before this body for a decade,\u201d he said. \u201cThe time has come.\u201d<\/p>\n The marijuana legalization bill that Street wants to advance<\/a>, SB 120<\/a>, would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flower, 1,000 milligrams of THC in edible products and 5 grams of concentrate.<\/p>\n It would also create a process to expunge prior marijuana-related criminal records.<\/p>\n If enacted, there would be an 8 percent excise tax on cannabis sales, alongside the state\u2019s regular sales tax of 6 percent.<\/p>\n The legislative maneuvering around the bill comes as new poll shows that Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization<\/a>\u2014and that the largest share put the blame on Republican lawmakers for the fact that the state has not yet enacted the reform.<\/p>\n The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling this month, found that three out of four voters favor legalizing recreational cannabis. When asked whether \u201cadults over 21 should have places to purchase non-medical cannabis products that are legal, and strictly regulated,\u201d 55 percent said they strongly agree and 20 percent somewhat agree.<\/p>\n Only 16 percent strongly disagree and 7 percent somewhat disagree, with another 3 percent saying they are unsure.<\/p>\n The poll also found that 40 respondents blamed GOP lawmakers for the lack of progress on cannabis, 12 percent blamed Democrats and 9 percent said the governor was to blame.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has repeatedly called on lawmakers to send him a marijuana legalization bill and for the last several years has included the reform in his budget requests to the legislature.<\/p>\n Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity, who is running against Shapiro, recently\u00a0pledged to veto a marijuana legalization bill<\/a>\u00a0if lawmakers ever sent one to her desk\u2014though she added that she doesn\u2019t think the reform stands a chance of making it that far in the state.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t support legalizing recreational marijuana,\u201d she said. \u201cRecreational marijuana will not end up in the budget. They\u2019re never going to pass it\u2026not as long as Senate Republicans are in control of the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n Her running mate for lieutenant governor, Jason Richey, claimed that\u00a0legalizing marijuana would be \u201ccatastrophic\u201d for the state<\/a>, arguing it would increase the size of the illegal market, undermine job creation and harm public health.<\/p>\n In April, the Democrstic-controlled Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed budget legislation proposed by Shapiro that relies on revenue that would be generated from recreational marijuana sales<\/a>, which has yet to be legalized in the state.<\/p>\n The governor earlier this year, as he has in past years,\u00a0included cannabis legalization and the resulting expected revenue in his budget request<\/a>.<\/p>\n The House last year passed a bill to legalize marijuana and put sales in state-owned dispensaries<\/a>, but the Republican Senate majority has criticized that plan while also\u00a0not advancing a cannabis legalization model of its own<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) reported in February that\u00a0legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania would generate nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue<\/a>\u00a0by 2028, an estimate that is a significantly larger cash windfall compared to projections from Shapiro\u2019s own office.<\/p>\n A spokesperson in the governor\u2019s office said the Trump administration\u2019s federal marijuana rescheduling move is an\u00a0\u201cimportant step\u201d that \u201cadds support\u201d to his push to legalize cannabis<\/a>. A GOP senator also said that federal reform will make it easier to legalize marijuana in the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Meanwhile, Laughlin is blaming the governor for the defeat<\/a> this month of his bill to create a new Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee the state\u2019s medical marijuana program and intoxicating hemp products<\/a> and that could also one day oversee recreational cannabis if it is legalized.<\/p>\n Most GOP senators in the Republican-controlled chamber voted for the legislation from Laughlin, and all but two Democrats opposed it\u2014with even some lawmakers who signed onto the measure as cosponsors ultimately voting against it.<\/p>\n The governor \u201cobviously weighed in on the Democratic side of the aisle and asked for a \u2018no\u2019 vote over there, successfully,\u201d Laughlin said after the vote. \u201cI knew it was a risk putting it up for a vote, because there were some discussions going back and forth\u2026 I had a little bit of a heads-up, but we chose to roll forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office confirmed in a statement that he opposes the bill as drafted.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Shapiro Administration remains supportive of comprehensive cannabis regulation, which would enable a competitive, revenue-generating adult-use market, protect patient access to the current Medical Marijuana Program and rein in hemp-based intoxicant products that are currently unregulated,\u201d Rosie Lapowsky, a spokesperson for the governor, said. \u201cSenate Bill 49 does not substantively advance those goals.\u201d<\/p>\n The now-defeated measure would transfer regulatory authority for the state\u2019s existing medical cannabis program from the Department of Health to a new seven-member CCB. The body would oversee cannabis permits, enforcement, seed-to-sale tracking, advertising, labeling, testing and other aspects of the legal industry.<\/p>\n Moments after the bill\u2019s defeat on the Senate floor, the chamber adopted a motion to reconsider\u2014but it\u2019s not yet clear when or if the legislation will get another vote.<\/p>\n Laughlin\u2019s legislation would also significantly restrict most hemp THC products<\/a>, aligning the state with a new federal policy that is set to take effect later this year recriminalizing preparations with total THC content of more than 0.3 percent on a dry-weight basis or more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.<\/p>\n The action on the cannabis regulatory bill, SB 49, came shortly after the House of Representatives passed a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals<\/a>\u00a0and other healthcare facilities.<\/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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