Pennsylvania lawmakers attempting to exercise due diligence on crafting adult-use cannabis legislation have taken a one-sided approach, according to one legislator. The state’s Senate Law & Justice Committee held a series of three hearings, each extending beyond two hours, when body members heard from a mixture of testifiers, including law enforcement officials during a Feb. 7 hearing; and individuals who played active roles in legalization efforts in other states during a Feb. 28 hearing. In their concluding hearing held March 14, committee members heard from industry professionals and patient advocates with connections to Pennsylvania’s existing medical cannabis program. Sen. Mike Regan, the committee’s chair and a former law enforcement officer who plans to introduce an adult-use bill in the General Assembly, said during the final session that it was important to hear from the medical cannabis regulatory oversight personnel in the state Department of Health. “We’re fortunate to already have an established medical marijuana program in Pennsylvania, which has laid the basic groundwork for licensing, growing, manufacturing, and selling cannabis through a state-regulated system,” he said. “As we will hear today, our medical program is not without its faults.
Cannabis Business Times, 03/15/2022 14:25:00