Latest news with #RickKrajewski
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.'
Axios
08-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Pa. could have a unique, state-run cannabis model
A proposal to legalize recreational cannabis in Pennsylvania would create the nation's first state-run cannabis program. Why it matters: Some lawmakers want the state to sell cannabis using a model similar to its liquor store model as a means to combat issues with private dispensaries like a lack of small-business investment and overly strong cannabis products. Driving the news: A bill to legalize and sell cannabis through state-run dispensaries operated by the Liquor Control Board was passed Wednesday in the state House by a 102-101 vote, with all Democrats supporting and all Republicans opposing. The bill is co-sponsored by state Reps. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) and Dan Frankel (D-Pittsburgh). Context: Pennsylvania legalized medical cannabis use in 2016 and has private dispensaries sell and distribute products to licensed patients. The proposed recreational program would disrupt that model and instead create dispensaries within current Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores or new state-run dispensaries, Frankel told Axios. The 24 other states where recreational cannabis is legal sell it through private dispensaries. What they're saying: Frankel and Krajewski held hearings before introducing their bill, and Frankel said they learned many other states have failed to address some issues with private dispensaries. Cannabis products elsewhere are sold with THC levels above lawmakers' liking, he said. Some small, locally owned dispensaries have been purchased by Big Cannabis companies like Trulieve and Cresco Labs, which Frankel said he wants to avoid. "We need something that creates genuine small-business opportunities," he said. By the numbers: There are about 575 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores throughout Pennsylvania, and Frankel said more could be created to sell only cannabis. He said that would provide access in rural areas where private dispensaries might not operate because it could be unprofitable. Friction point: The cannabis industry opposes a state-store model because it would likely shut down current medical dispensaries, potentially opening the state up to lawsuits, and could drag out the transition to recreational use, said Jack Weber, co-owner of Keystone Cannabis Representative Agency. He said many companies have already invested in private dispensaries through the medical law, and they are equipped to easily transition into a recreational model. "They can turn on the lights the next day," he said. The other side: Senate Republicans appear to have zero appetite for a state-run bill. State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), a supporter of recreational cannabis and chair of the Senate committee charged with weed policy, told reporters in Harrisburg on Tuesday that "if a bill comes over that sells cannabis out of state stores, it's going in the trash." State Reps. Emily Kinkead (D-Pittsburgh) and Abby Major (R-Armstrong) are working on a recreational cannabis bill to have private dispensary sales with the aim of winning over Republicans. The intrigue: Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would sign a bill and supports legalization to help fill the state's looming structural deficit. Yes, but: Frankel said he thinks some conservative Republicans could end up supporting a state-run bill because it could have more control over public health outcomes, like limiting access and lowering THC levels in products.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pa. lawmakers passed a recreational marijuana bill that would put the state in charge of sales
Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) speaks at a news conference Wednesday, May 7, 2025, after the state House passed the recreational cannabis legalization bill he and Health Committee Chairperson Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) cosponsored. (Ian Karbal/Capital-Star) Democrats in the state House voted Wednesday to legalize recreational use of marijuana by adults, with sales through state-owned stores. That sends the question of whether Pennsylvania will follow its neighbors' leads on cannabis to the Republican-led state Senate. The bill passed the House on a 102-101 party-line vote after 2½ hours of debate. Supporters of House Bill 1200, sponsored by Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia), said it would create a market for safe, tested and regulated cannabis products for consumers who are currently buying them legally in neighboring states, from street dealers and 'quasi-legal' vape shops. 'Prohibition of marijuana has not worked … The status quo is unacceptable,' House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) said. Republicans said they oppose the expansion of access to a drug that can have serious health and life consequences for young people when the commonwealth is already grappling with an addiction and overdose crisis. Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware) gave an emotional account of his younger brother's struggle with addiction that began when he started smoking pot in high school, led to his use of harder drugs and ended with his death of an overdose in his early 30s. Some were also critical of the bill's restorative justice aspects, saying government sales would limit opportunities for those most harmed by a century of criminalization. Rep. Tim Bonner (R-Mercer) suggested the bill's requirement for courts to vacate and expunge marijuana convictions is unconstitutional. Though in a press conference following the bill's passage, Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), who penned the bill with Krajewski, said they had consulted with lawyers who previously worked on the state's clean slate initiative, and none raised issues about the constitutionality of their expungement policy. Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) said the bill was rushed through the legislative process. 'A lot of the debate has centered around the idea of legalizing marijuana, the concept, but in this chamber, on this floor, we don't vote on ideas. We don't vote on concepts. We vote on bills to become law,' Topper said, adding that the depth of the debate shows the bill is not ready to become law. The 173-page bill was introduced on Sunday, put through committee on Monday, and received its final vote Wednesday. Frankel, however, said the bill was the product of months of open discussions, including five meetings of a bipartisan House subcommittee on cannabis that explored issues related to legalization. Frankel and Krajewski also made it known they were working on a recreational cannabis bill that would involve sale at state stores last December. And Frankel said Wednesday that, when writing the bill, they tried to incorporate concerns raised by Republicans in committee. 'This has not been in secret,' he said. 'This has been a collaborative process.' Pennsylvania first made it legal for residents to buy and consume cannabis for medical use in 2016. Marijuana can be prescribed for 24 medical conditions and in 2024 more than 300,000 people had been approved to use it for anxiety disorders alone, according to the state Department of Health. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has included a plan to legalize and tax the sale and use of recreational marijuana in his last two budget proposals. His current proposal estimates that a 20% tax on the wholesale price of recreational marijuana products would generate $15.6 million plus an additional $11.4 million in sales tax revenue for the 2025-26 budget. HB 1200 proposes a 12% tax on cannabis products plus 6% sales tax. A fiscal note prepared with the bill estimates tax, license fees and profits under the system would provide more than $1.1 billion in 2026-2027. It would allow people 21 and older to purchase and consume a personal amount of marijuana, allow people who pay for a permit to grow up to four plants and provides for fines for underage use. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which regulates alcoholic beverages and operates state wine and spirits stores, would be responsible for purchasing cannabis products and operating cannabis stores. Bonner, an attorney, said the bill's requirement to forgive and erase criminal convictions and records for marijuana offenses would run afoul of a 1977 state Supreme Court decision. It found the General Assembly had violated the state constitution's separation of powers clause by ordering the resentencing of people convicted of a felony marijuana offense when the legislature reduced it to a misdemeanor. 'As legislators, we are highly critical of the courts any time they exercise legislative powers, and I can tell you that the courts will be highly critical of House Bill 1200,' Bonner said. He moved unsuccessfully to find the bill unconstitutional. Krajewski, who oversaw the cannabis subcommittee hearings, said he believes the bill creates a balanced, responsible, framework. 'We have the opportunity to rein in a market that is completely deregulated in terms of potency, content, labeling or advertising,' he said. '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.' And while Pennsylvania is behind neighboring Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, it also has the benefit of learning from their mistakes. That, Krajewski said, is why the bill proposes a state-run dispensary system rather than an expansion of the medical marijuana industry. Massive multi-state cannabis companies have leveraged footholds in the medical marijuana business to control emerging recreational use markets, blocking opportunities for small entrepreneurs to compete, he said. 'Without proper controls in place, we risk turning Pennsylvania into the new playground for corporate cannabis,' Krajewski said. But Rep. Abby Major (R-Armstrong) argued that establishing a state-run cannabis system would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in upfront costs before a dollar of revenue is generated. 'Rather than leveraging the infrastructure we've already built in the medical market — nearly 30,000 jobs, over 450,000 active patients, and nearly $2 billion in annual sales — we're choosing to start from scratch, to erase the progress of the past eight years,' Major said. 'Dead on arrival' At a press conference following the bill's passage, House Democrats celebrated their victory. But they also made clear the ball was now in Senate Republicans' court, and that the bill may have to undergo substantial changes in order to garner the necessary support to pass the GOP-controlled chamber. 'If the Senate is serious about cannabis legislation, we now have the vehicle which we can have negotiations about,' Krajewski said. 'We want to have legalized cannabis in Pennsylvania. We've gotten a bill out of the House that we believe in and that we believe represents our Democratic values. We know this is a process between getting through the House, the Senate and the governor.' Frankel added, at this point, there have not been many conversations with Senate Republicans. And some Senate Republicans were quick to throw cold water on the idea that a state store model could pass the chamber they control with a 27-23 majority. 'Placing the sale of marijuana within our existing state liquor store system takes a step back and props up an antiquated system,' said Sen. Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana). 'It's hard to believe the House spent so much time this week on a serious issue and ultimately sent us an unserious bill. With House Democrats' failure to obtain bi-partisan support for the bill in their chamber, it's clear advancing marijuana legalization in this manner was a performative exercise.' Pittman has historically been hesitant to offer full-throated support or opposition for any legislation legalizing recreational cannabis, and it's unclear if any could garner support from Senate Republicans. But even the most vocal proponent of legalization within the caucus, Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), referred to Krajewski and Frankel's bill as 'dead on arrival.' 'I have repeatedly made it clear there is zero chance that the state store model will make it through the Senate,' Laughlin said on social media following the House vote. 'That idea is DOA.' Laughlin has previously introduced legalization bills with Philadelphia Democrat, Sen. Sharif Street, who commended the House for passing their bill, but also expressed skepticism it could pass the upper chamber in its current form. 'I remain strongly opposed to selling cannabis through state-run stores or placing it under the Liquor Control Board,' Street wrote in a Facebook Post Wednesday evening. 'But this vote is a significant step forward. I applaud House members who worked hard to advance the conversation and move us closer to justice, equity and economic opportunity.' The cannabis lobby has also opposed the state store model since it was discussed in committee meetings last year. 'A bill passing out of the House today is an important first step to set the stage for more meaningful, bipartisan discussions — bringing in the Senate and the Governor as part of ongoing budget negotiations,' the Responsible PA coalition said in a statement following the vote. 'We must fix this bill as we know a majority of Pennsylvanians oppose a state-run cannabis retail model. Voters want a practical solution — not a bill that is going to face legal challenges and cost thousands of jobs for everyday, hardworking Pennsylvanians.' Responsible PA's coalition includes both local businesses like medical dispensaries, and some of the nation's largest multi-state cannabis companies. Since Frankel and Krajewski began seriously advocating for a state store model as early as last legislative session, Responsible PA has opposed it. The group has conducted polling, which found that, while a majority of Pennsylvanians support legal cannabis, most oppose a state store model. And the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition, a trade group comprising both existing Pennsylvania medical dispensaries and national cannabis companies, hired a law firm to examine the legality of asking state store employees to sell cannabis, which is still illegal under federal law. The firm, Kleinbard LLC, found that a bill like Krajewski and Frankel's, would likely be illegal. But proponents of the state store model, including Frankel and Krajewski, say that it can keep more revenue with the state, allow tighter control of the market, and be used to combat industry influence and monopolistic practices. 'In Pennsylvania, 10 out-of-state corporations with a combined valuation of more than $6 billion control more than 70% of our current medical dispensaries,' Krajewski said at a press conference. Krajewski pointed to a trend in states with equity-based cannabis laws where dispensary licenses intended for disadvantaged small business owners wind up controlled by large companies. He added that a state-owned store could also ensure shelf space for locally-made products, instead of ones produced by vertically integrated companies that both manufacture and sell them. He also pushed back on the idea that a state-store model would bar entrepreneurs from entering the industry. The bill would still allow small business owners to obtain licenses to grow cannabis, manufacture THC products, or operate establishments where people can use cannabis in a social setting.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Pennsylvania House advances bill legalizing recreational marijuana
Pennsylvanians 21 or older would be allowed to legally purchase and use marijuana under a bill that passed the state House on Wednesday, the first time a recreational cannabis proposal has been approved by either legislative chamber. Democrats voted unanimously to advance the multifaceted bill to the Senate over unified opposition from Republicans, just as lawmakers are working out which issues will be part of the budget-season dealmaking that occurs every year at this time in Harrisburg. The proposal was touted by the main sponsor, Democratic Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia, as a "balanced, responsible and robust framework" that will create jobs, ensure a safe product and maintain affordable prices for consumers. He noted that there were about 12,000 simple possession arrests in the state last year. Republicans expressed concern that legalization will increase marijuana usage, cause health issues and create safety problems at workplaces. Several pointed out that marijuana is still illegal under federal law. "The myth that this will only make cannabis available to adults is to deny reason and logic," said Rep. Marc Anderson, a York County Republican. He predicted that "kids will get weed illegally, and it will be more dangerous." The bill seems likely to see changes if senators decide to act on it. Sen. Dan Laughlin of Erie County, a leading Republican on the issue, said on social media after the vote that there is "no path forward in the Senate for a state store model for adult-use cannabis." Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed legalizing recreational marijuana in his budget, counting on more than $500 million in revenue during the first year, primarily through licensing fees. He is looking for new sources of cash to pay Medicaid bills, bolster struggling public transit agencies and help the poorest public schools. The proposal would direct that sales be managed by the state-owned liquor store system, but they would occur not at the liquor stores themselves but in other retail outlets. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board would set prices and regulate how cannabis is produced, tested, transported and sold. Some of the new tax revenue would go to help historically disadvantaged communities, with other portions designated to combat substance abuse, boost minority business development and pay for expunging marijuana-related convictions. Rep. Tim Bonner, a Mercer County Republican, argued that the expungement mechanism would improperly impinge on the state courts, but Democratic backers said they were confident the provision will withstand legal scrutiny. Under the bill, drivers who are not considered impaired but have traces of marijuana in their blood would not be subject to driving-under-the-influence charges. State residents would be allowed to grow a small number of plants if they obtain a home cultivation permit. There are 24 states that currently allow recreational marijuana and 14 others that permit it only for medical purposes. Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana in 2016 for patients with certain qualifying conditions and the assent of a physician. Democratic state Sen. Sharif Street of Philadelphia, who supports legalization, said the House bill lacks majority support in the Senate. A pair of bills that languished during the last legislative session called for a much different public sales method, involving state licensing of private retail dispensaries. Chris Goldstein, the Pennsylvania regional organizer for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said opponents of putting marijuana sales in the hands of the liquor store system consider the House bill a centralized approach that would not do much to foster small businesses. "This is so far away from anything we see in other states, it's just not something that consumers are familiar with," Goldstein said. "That's not what people want."
