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Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Weed instead of wine? What Pennsylvania's state-run weed stores could look like if recreational cannabis is legalized
Imagine walking into a Pennsylvania State Store - not for wine, but for weed. That's the vision behind a newly passed bill in the state House, which proposes legalizing recreational marijuana and selling it exclusively through state-run cannabis shops. Modeled after the Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, the proposal would make Pennsylvania one of the only states in the country to operate a government-controlled retail marijuana system. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny) and Rep. Rick Krajewski (D., Philadelphia), passed the House in a narrow 102-101 vote on May 7. It's unlikely to become law - the Republican-controlled Senate has shown little interest in legalizing recreational cannabis - but it marks the first time a recreational marijuana bill has cleared a chamber of the state legislature. Unlike Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program or recreational systems in states like New Jersey, where private dispensaries dominate the market, the proposed legislation would give the state complete control over retail sales. That means no privately owned dispensaries and likely no flashy storefronts - just state-run shops, stocked and overseen by the government. What would a state-run cannabis store look like? Though the bill faces long odds in the Senate, it offers a preview of how recreational weed could work in Pennsylvania - and what it might look like if the Liquor Control Board ran cannabis sales. For starters, the cannabis market would be overseen by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which would set product prices - not individual businesses. The board would also determine where stores could operate, and some Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations could be converted into hybrid shops selling liquor and cannabis. The bill includes purchase limits for recreational weed, as most legal states do, though Pennsylvania's proposed caps would be more restrictive than those in New Jersey, New York, or California. Notably, private citizens and businesses would not be allowed to apply for or operate cannabis retail stores - a restriction that has drawn criticism from legalization advocates and business groups. However, Pennsylvanians age 21 and older could apply for a "home cultivation" permit to grow a small amount of marijuana for personal use, something still not permitted in New Jersey. While the bill's retail structure stands out, many of its other provisions - including how cannabis would be cultivated and manufactured - mirror systems already in place in other legal-weed states. Why are lawmakers proposing a state-run weed industry? The bill's sponsors, Krajewski and Frankel, have argued that leaning into Pennsylvania's nearly century-old liquor store system could help streamline the path to legalization by using a framework both lawmakers and residents are already familiar with. It also protects the smaller, independent entrepreneurs, who in other states have found themselves in debt from attempting to open dispensaries, Krajewski told The Inquirer in March. "It's an extremely difficult market to compete in, particularly if you've been directly impacted by the War on Drugs," Krajewski said. "Many people are told this kind of pipe dream that, 'You're going to make it big, open a dispensary,' and then smaller operators fall into cycles of debt or they're bought out by big investors who can withstand the turbulence of a newly legalized market." Still, the proposal has drawn pushback from some legalization advocates. Pennsylvania's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) said it sent 1,000 letters from residents urging lawmakers to reject a state-store-only model. Critics say it would sideline small and Black-owned businesses from participating in the legal market. "The reality is that small-business owners, for the most part, get the retail store and the delivery permits," said Chris Goldstein, NORML's regional organizer. "They don't have the capacity to start growing cannabis or get into the manufacturing side, but they can afford to rent a storefront and make the investments in retail to comply with state law." Will this recreational weed bill become law? Probably not - at least not yet. In March, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, told The Inquirer that the Republican caucus is not ready to support recreational cannabis legalization. Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, has also expressed reluctance, citing marijuana's federal status and concerns over how the state's medical program was implemented. "In Pennsylvania, we already have a medical marijuana program in place which was not implemented well and could benefit from potential changes to make that program more airtight, efficient, and productive," Pittman said. For now, nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians are registered medical marijuana patients and are served by more than 180 dispensaries across the state. Recreational use remains illegal - but this latest vote marks a shift in how some lawmakers are beginning to envision the future of cannabis in the Commonwealth. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania Senate fails marijuana bill, a look back at the drug's legislative history
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania bill focused on legalizing adult-use marijuana failed after being voted on in the Senate on Tuesday. The bill in question, however, was the first of its kind to pass through the House and make it to the Senate floor. The bill, introduced by Representatives Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) and Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), aimed to legalize adult-use cannabis across the Commonwealth. The legislation was approved by the House Health Committee Monday, May 5, and moved to the full House for consideration. It was passed in the House; however, it ultimately failed after moving to the Pennsylvania Senate. Unlike other bills introduced over the years that looked to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania, Krajewski and Frankel's bill made it out of the House and landed on the Senate floor before being dismissed. Let's take a look at the past few years of marijuana bills in the Commonwealth in comparison to the most recent piece of legislation. Multiple bills have been introduced in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate, and while their language may differ, one commonality remains true amongst them: to legalize adult-use marijuana. For example, in July 2023, State Senators Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) announced legislation that looked to legalize marijuana consumption for those 21 and older in Pennsylvania. The bill also proposed expunging non-violent marijuana convictions for medical marijuana patients. The legislation failed after being referred to the Law and Justice Senate Committee. Months earlier, in January 2023, two different Senators looked to change the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program. Sens. Mike Regan (R-Cumberland/York) and James Brewster (D-Allegheny) announced that they were going to propose legislation that aimed to eliminate the list of 'qualifying conditions' and allow a patient's doctor to make the decision to be prescribed medical marijuana. In February 2024, Franklin and Marshall College conducted a poll that found 2/3 (63%) of Pennsylvania voters think marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. The survey was based on the results of interviews conducted between Jan. 17, 2024, and Jan. 28, 2024, and included responses from 1,006 registered Pa. voters. The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) then found in April 2024 that Pennsylvania has the potential to bring in more than $1 billion in tax revenue over the next five years if marijuana were legalized for adult recreational use. The IFO assumed that sales would have started by Jan. 1, 2025, and that by the end of the fiscal year, the Commonwealth could have generated $41 million in revenue. Then, from June 2024 through December 2024, lawmakers in Harrisburg introduced three other bills focused on legalizing marijuana for adult use. However, each bill failed before it could make its way to Governor Josh Shapiro's desk. Notably, Shapiro called for marijuana legalization in both his 2024 and 2025 budget addresses to the Commonwealth. The Department of Justice moved to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, however, there is no current status on the actual reclassification, as cannabis still remains Schedule I. The future of adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania remains as uncertain as it has over the course of the past few years, with lawmakers in the House and Senate seemingly unable to come to an agreement on the use of the drug. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Pennsylvania House Passes Recreational Cannabis Legalization Bill
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives this week approved legislation to legalize recreational cannabis, nine years after the state legalized medical marijuana. The bill, known as the Cannabis Health and Safety Act (HB 1200), was approved by the House on Wednesday by a vote of 102-101. If approved by the Pennsylvania Senate and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, the bill would legalize the use of cannabis for adults age 21 and older. The legislation would also legalize sales of recreational marijuana through state-run cannabis dispensaries, a provision not seen in other states that have legalized the drug for use by adults. HB 1200 was introduced on Sunday by Democratic Reps. Rick Krajewski and Dan Frankel. The legislation was then quickly approved by two House legislative committees and was approved on first reading by the full chamber on Tuesday. House lawmakers approved the measure again on third reading on Wednesday, sending it to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration, Marijuana Moment reported this week. The bill would decriminalize cannabis possession until regulated sales of recreational marijuana begin. During that time, possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis would be punishable as a summary offense, carrying a fine of up to $250. Once regulated sales begin, adults would be permitted to possess just over 42 grams of marijuana (about 1.5 ounces) and up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrates without penalty. The legislation also includes provisions for limited home cannabis cultivation by adults who pay a fee of $100 per year. 'The reality is criminalization of cannabis does not work. It does not deter usage, it does not promote safety, and it is not in the best interest of our commonwealth,' Krajewski told his colleagues on the House floor. 'With legalization, we have the opportunity to rein in a market that is completely deregulated in terms of potency, content. labeling or advertising. We can promote public health, while also bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars that can be directed to communities hit the hardest by past criminalization.' Acknowledging that Pennsylvania 'is late to the game in terms of legalizing cannabis,' Krajewski said the delay has allowed lawmakers the chance to see what has worked in other states that have legalized recreational marijuana. He added that HB 1200 features a 'hybrid' regulatory model that provides for cannabis production to be carried out by private companies while retail sales would be restricted to state-run dispensaries operated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Krajewski characterized the model as a 'bold new approach' that will bring economic benefits to the state while avoiding the 'naked greed' of large cannabis businesses seen in other states. 'Massive multi-state cannabis companies have leveraged their existing medical and recreational footprints to control entire swaths of newly emerging recreational markets,' he said. Pennsylvania State capitol building in Harrisburg. LightRocket via Getty Images 'Where states have tried to level the playing field of social equity guidelines, those states have been terrorized with industry lawsuits,' Krajewski continued. 'This naked greed has led to near impossible conditions for small entrepreneurs to successfully compete in cannabis, enterprising business owners—many of whom are formerly incarcerated due to cannabis related offenses—were sold a fake gold rush dream by predatory investors when social equity businesses failed due to the volatility of a new market and aggressive multi-state operators, private equity was ready to swoop in and seize the remains.' Not all cannabis reform advocates, however, are sold on the concept of state-run weed shops. 'There are many provisions in this bill that we commend. It would stop criminalizing people for using cannabis and prevent families from being torn apart and lives being ruined because adults choose to relax with cannabis,' Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement from the cannabis policy reform group. 'However, we have serious concerns about the viability of a state-run stores model due to federal law. No other state operates cannabis businesses this way, and for good reason. State cannabis laws must be carefully crafted to ensure they are workable in the face of federal prohibition.' To become law, HB 1200 must be approved by the Republican-led Pennsylvania Senate. Although passage in the upper house of the Pennsylvania legislature may be a hard sell, GOP Sen. Gene Yaw told The Standard-Journal that prohibition 'has not turned out well' in American history. 'It makes sense that we regulate it the way we have done with alcohol and gambling, and tax it and do the best that we can in that regard,' Yaw said about cannabis. 'For us to bury our head in the sand and say that just because we have not legalized it that we are somehow preventing things like that from happening just makes no sense.'
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
The Pennsylvania House advanced a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. What happens next?
Pennsylvania took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana. On Wednesday, Democrats in the state House voted unanimously to advance a bill legalizing recreational marijuana for Pennsylvanians 21 or older over unified opposition from Republicans. Pennsylvania medical marijuana bill According to a Democratic sponsor of the bill, it has the potential to bring in $600 million in state revenue. For some Republicans, the method of bringing that money in is not negotiable. It's similar to the state store model, and they don't want to do that. "The toothpaste is already out of the tube," Democratic state Rep. Dan Frankel said. Frankel said a state store model was viewed as the best option, and there is proven success with the model in places like Quebec, Canada. He said the longer the state waits, the longer illegal or quasi-legal markets cash in, adding there is no public health supervision of those markets. "You go right next door, you'll see a sign on the street with a big marijuana leaf saying no medical card needed here. We need to regulate that. That's a public health hazard," Rep. Frankel said on Thursday. Wednesday's bill passed along party lines, and Republicans hold control of the state Senate. The bill will first go to the Law and Justice Committee. Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson is on the committee. He said the process will slow down, as a complaint from the state House was that the bill was rushed through. Republicans feel they didn't get a good chance to read the full bill before voting. "With something so important and so large coming to the state, we need a little bit more time," Robinson said. While he is not as open to legalization, he says other Republicans, including the committee's chair, are open to legalization. If there is any advancement of the bill, it will be with significant changes, some of which include creating an alternative to the current one, which creates separate state stores to sell marijuana from the current wine and liquor state stores. "We are going to have to build stores across the entire Commonwealth. So, that takes a lot of money," Sen. Robinson. Rep. Frankel said he expects changes but hopes conversations can continue between the state House and state Senate to ultimately come up with an agreement. "What is your idea? Send us something," Rep. Frankel said. Governor Josh Shapiro has been a proponent of legalizing marijuana and pushed to get the General Assembly to pass legislation as part of his budget proposal.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Adult-use marijuana bill passes committee, moves to Pa. House for consideration
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Two Pennsylvania Representatives have officially introduced a bill that aims to legalize adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania, with the bill moving to the House for consideration. Reps. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) and Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) argued that the 'time is now' when it comes to the legalization of cannabis in the Commonwealth. The bill, also known as the Cannabis Health and Safety Act, was approved by the House Health Committee Monday, May 5, by a vote of 14-12. Now, the bill will move to the full House of Representatives for consideration. 'We have listened carefully to public health experts, criminal justice reformers, small business advocates and community leaders,' Krajewski said. 'Our bill reflects what we've learned — that we can and must legalize cannabis in a way that is safe, equitable and beneficial to all Pennsylvanians.' The lawmakers noted that 24 states, including nearly all of Pennsylvania's neighbors, have already legalized recreational cannabis and that public opinion is in overwhelming support. 'By legalizing and regulating cannabis thoughtfully, we can avoid pitfalls that have marred rollouts in other states,' Frankel said. 'Our plan will create clear rules that protect consumers, educate the public, and ensure that Pennsylvania small businesses and taxpayers – not out-of-state corporations — benefit from the profits.' Some key proponents of the bill include: Automatically clearing criminal records and advancing restorative justice for those impacted by cannabis-related offenses Reinvesting tax revenue into communities disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs Implementing critical public health protections, including THC limits, marketing restrictions and child safety measures Creating pathways for diverse and local entrepreneurs to participate in the regulated cannabis market, with priority on licensing and contracting Maximizing state revenue and accountability with publicly owned and accountable retail stores The bill also projects that the market of adult-use cannabis could bring in more than half a billion dollars for the commonwealth every year from both taxes and profits. The House Health Committee is expected to take up the legislation soon, marking the start of a historic debate around cannabis in the General Assembly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
