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Wolf, Fetterman renew call for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania

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Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in a file photo from August

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Gov. Tom Wolf

Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman renewed their call Thursday to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Pennsylvania, one year after first making the proposal.

There has been no action in the Legislature in the last 12 months on recreational marijuana. Wolf said at a Harrisburg press conference with Fetterman and state Sen. Sharif Street, a Philadelphia-area Democrat, that he would like to jump start a debate on the issue.

“I’m inviting that conversation to start,” Wolf said.

Both Wolf and Fetterman framed the argument for the legalization of recreational marijuana in economic terms. They say revenue from it would help small businesses across the commonwealth that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those in disadvantaged communities. Some revenue would also be earmarked for restorative justice programs, to assist Pennsylvanians who have lost out on employment or other opportunities.

Some Republicans have called for decriminalization of recreational marijuana rather than legalization, while others say it would increase the amount of substance abuse in the commonwealth, particularly during the pandemic. Other critics say the issue is a distraction, and Wolf and Fetterman should focus on issues related to the pandemic, such as reopening schools.

Pennsylvania has already joined with most other states in legalizing medical marijuana. Some estimates have it that making recreational marijuana legal would bring $600 million into the state’s coffers every year. Most state polls show majority support for making recreational marijuana use legal.

Last year, Fetterman traveled to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to gauge sentiment on recreational marijuana legalization. His stops included Waynesburg University and the Center on Strawberry in Washington. The lieutenant governor said New Jersey voters are likely to approve a referendum in November that would make recreational marijuana legal in that state, and Fetterman said, “I think our legal marijuana will be better than theirs.”

Along with erasing the criminal records of many Pennsylvanians, the governor and lieutenant governor said legal recreational marijuana that is regulated would create jobs.

“I would pitch this as a jobs bill as much as anything,” Fetterman said.

At the beginning of 2020, Illinois became the latest state to make marijuana legal for recreational use, joining Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine. It is also legal for recreational use in the District of Columbia.

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