A key Pennsylvania Senate committee on Monday held the second of three hearings it has scheduled on marijuana legalization, taking testimony meant to help inform a forthcoming reform bill that the panel’s chairman is actively drafting. The Senate Law and Justice Committee meeting focused on the experiences of other states that have enacted legalization, with industry stakeholders, advocates, and representatives of the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity testifying on the issue. Sen. Mike Regan (R), who chairs the panel, circulated a cosponsorship memo last year along with Rep. Amen Brown (D) to build support for the reform, and these meetings are designed to give lawmakers added context into the best approach to legalization for the state. At an initial hearing earlier this month, much of the discussion focused on whether creating a regulated market would be sufficient to eliminate illicit sales, how police would be affected, and the impact on impaired driving. This time around, committee members talked about varying tax structures and other regulatory approaches that have been created in states like Illinois and California.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/28/2022 14:39:00