Bipartisan Pennsylvania Lawmakers Argue Over Strategy To Pass Marijuana Legalization Bill

There’s more friction and finger-pointing in the Pennsylvania legislature over the push to legalize marijuana for adult use, with a GOP senator who’s sponsoring a reform bill insisting that the House must make the first move and a Democratic representative pushing back on that suggestion.

Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), who serves as chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, said on Tuesday that the House “needs to pass the language in my bill and send it to my committee” after which point he “can negotiate with the Senate and the governor.”

The Democratic-controlled House, however, has already advanced a legalization proposal this session that called for a state-run sales model. That measure was quickly quashed in Laughlin’s Senate committee, however, with the GOP lawmaker and others insisting that a more traditional approach of licensing privates businesses would have a better shot.

Pressed by Marijuana Moment on Tuesday about why he wouldn’t simply seek to advance his legislation through his own committee first to deliver it to the House, Laughlin said the opposite chamber needs to pass the litmus test of whether “they can pass my language,” using a companion version from Rep. Amen Brown (D) as the vehicle.

Pennsylvania Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D) took notice of Laughlin’s posts on X, and he said he was willing to break his months-long hiatus on the social media platform to share his criticism.

“Send the House something so we know you’re/the Senate is *actually* serious about adult use, & we’ll make figure out a path forward. We have already proven we have the votes to pass,” the lawmaker said. “You all have yet to show anyone you have skin [in] the game. Call a committee meeting, take a vote on the Senate floor, and send us your proposal.”

“We are more than willing to work with you on adult use. The ball is in your court,” Bizzarro said. “We will be waiting.”

In response, Laughlin—who recently said supporters in the legislature are “picking up votes” to legalize cannabis—said he knows “the ball is in my court,” which is “why I explained in detail how this gets done. Now go pass [Brown’s] bill and send it over.”

Bizzarro reiterated that, in the House, “we have the votes” and said “it’s time to go and get yours.”

The social media spat comes as lawmakers continue the years-long debate over enacted comprehensive cannabis reform—a policy supported by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) who recently said he won’t “concede” on his plan to legalize adult-use cannabis through the budget.

Meanwhile, the leading Republican candidate in the race to become the next governor of Pennsylvania dodged a question about her stance on legalizing marijuana—saying she doesn’t have a “policy position” on the issue and arguing that the sitting governor’s proposal for reform “way, way overstated” potential revenue.

The candidate, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), pointed to neighboring Ohio, which launched its own adult-use cannabis market this year, saying “they generated about $115 million in revenue.” And while the populations of both states are relatively comparable, Shapiro’s budget projected $536.5 million in cannabis revenue in the first fiscal year of implementation.

She did, however, say that if Pennsylvania moves forward on enacting the reform, she’ll “make sure that it’s banked appropriately.”

Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania Democratic senator recently said that federal marijuana rescheduling—which President Donald Trump said he’d be making a decision on imminently—would be “very influential” in advancing legalization in his state, giving “political cover” to GOP members on the fence about reform.

Sen. Sharif Street (D) discussed the status of cannabis legalization efforts in the Keystone State, including a bipartisan proposal to end prohibition that he filed alongside Laughlin last month.

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The legalization bill with a state-run sales model that passed the House isn’t necessarily dead for the session as a vehicle to advance reform, however. And Democrats in the chamber recently called on voters to pressure state senators to sign off on the cannabis measure, arguing that it would benefit health and safety and bring in billions of dollars in revenue for the commonwealth.

Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, due largely to GOP opposition. But not all Republican members are against the policy change—and one recently said she felt her party should seize the “opportunity to snatch” the issue from Democrats.

In addition to pushback from Senate Majority Leader Pittman, another Republican, Sen. Scott Martin, who chairs the influential Appropriations Committee, said earlier this month that he didn’t plan to move on any adult-use legalization bills.

Separately, just days after Laughlin and Street filed their measure, Reps. Emily Kinkead (D) and Abby Major (R)—alongside eight other cosponsors—filed legislation in the House to enact the reform. The pair have previously championed other proposals to end prohibition.

Laughlin and 16 other lawmakers also recently filed a separate bill to create a new regulatory body in the state that would begin overseeing medical cannabis while preparing to eventually handle the adult-use market as well.

Separately, a recent poll found that Pennsylvania voters say they favor a model where cannabis is sold by licensed private businesses rather than through a system of state-run stores.

Meanwhile, a Democratic lawmaker recently filed a bill that seeks to require employers to cover the costs of medical cannabis for qualifying patients receiving workers’ compensation.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.