Pennsylvania’s agriculture secretary says he’s fully confident that his department is in a “really good” position to oversee an adult-use marijuana program as proposed by the governor if lawmakers enact the reform.
During hearings before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees this week, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding weighed in on various aspect of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) latest budget request, including his proposal to legalize cannabis this year.
In general, Redding said that he appreciates the governor’s understanding that creating a regulated system of sales represents a “reality check of the market and what’s playing out” in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. And as far as the role Shapiro envisions for his department in regulating the industry, Redding said “there’s not another agency that’s in-and-out of more food establishments and manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania than we are.”
“We’ve got the regulatory structure. Our roots are there,” he said at the Senate committee hearing.
The secretary said at several points that, while the agriculture department is uniquely suited to manage a future adult-use program, it’s important that it brings in “the expertise and the capacity” of the Department of Health, which currently oversees the state’s medical cannabis program.
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