The following press release was drafted by longtime NORML activist Chris Goldstein. The first hearing on the future of adult-use cannabis legalization was held before members of the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee on February 7, 2022. Senator Mike Regan (R-York) who chairs the committee, specifically sought the view of police and prosecutors. A former US Marshall who backed Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law in 2016, Regan is now offering plans to advance adult-use regulation. He won the support of Rep. Amen Brown (D-Philadelphia), who appeared as a witness and pledged to co-sponsor Regan’s forthcoming legalization bill. Although full language hasn’t been introduced yet, the official memo seems to outline that a large portion of cannabis taxes from retail sales would be directed to the State Police. Regan personally selected all the witnesses who testified at the informal hearing. These included two sitting county prosecutors, Philadelphia City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., and a panel of former cops who now work security for Pa. medical cannabis dispensaries. Regan, and all of the panelists, seemed to agree that arresting people for simple cannabis possession was a bad idea.
NORML, 02/14/2022 19:00:00