A majority of Pennsylvania voters say they’re ready for the state to legalize adult-use marijuana, according to the latest Quinnipiac University Poll.
The survey—which involved 836 registered voters in the Keystone state—asked respondents about a variety of policy issues such as immigration, the minimum wage, AI data centers and cannabis legalization ahead of the November midterm elections.
It found that 56 percent of voters are in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis, with 37 percent opposed.
As in past polling, Democrats were the most likely to back legalization, at 72 percent. By contrast, 63 percent of independents support legalizing cannabis, while a majority of Republicans (63 percent) are opposed to the reform.
The survey was conducted from February 19-23, with a +/- 4.7 percentage point margin of error.
Quinnipiac released the results as Pennsylvania lawmakers once again consider proposals to replace marijuana criminalization with regulation. That includes a plan put forward by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as part of his latest budget request.
Legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania under that plan could bring in nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue by 2028, according to a new analysis from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) that estimates a significantly larger cash windfall compared to projections from the governor’s own office.
With a proposed 20 percent wholesale cannabis excise tax, 6 percent state sales tax for retail and licensing fees, IFO said Shapiro’s legalization plan that he unveiled earlier this month would generate $140 million in tax revenue in the first year of implementation from 2027-2028 and increase to $432 million by 2030-2031.
That’s a much higher revenue estimate than what the governor’s office put forward in the latest executive budget. According to that analysis, legalization would generate about $36.9 million in tax dollars in its first year from a 20 percent wholesale tax on marijuana—rising gradually to $223.8 million by 2030-2031.
Of course, the projections assume the legislature advances adult-use legalization in line with the governor’s budget request and sales begin on January 1, 2027. It remains to be seen whether lawmakers will follow through on the reform this year, but it wouldn’t be the first time marijuana legalization stalled out in the state if they don’t act this session.
Meanwhile, this month, a coalition of drug policy and civil liberties organizations urged Shapiro to play a leadership role in convening legislative leaders to get the job done on cannabis legalization this session.
In a letter led by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and sent to the governor, the coalition noted that legalization has consistently made it into Shapiro’s budget requests, “reflecting both sound fiscal policy and the clear will of the people of the Commonwealth.”
Pennsylvania House Democratic lawmakers have separately called on the GOP-controlled Senate to come to the table and pass a bill to legalize marijuana.
At a press conference earlier this month, three Democratic members of the House who have championed adult-use legalization stressed the need to move on reform, laying blame for inaction on the Senate where even supporters of the policy change have so far been unable to deliver on the issue.
Reps. Rick Krajewski (D) and Dan Frankel (D), who sponsored a bill to legalize with state-run shops that advanced through the House last year, said they understand that the novel regulatory approach they envisioned may be “controversial” to some members, but that’s all the more reason for the Senate to bring their own ideas to the conversation to finally enact the reform.
House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) said in December that legalizing marijuana is one way to create a “very important” revenue source for the state—and that it’s an achievable reform if only legislators could find “the will to do it.”
Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers who’ve been working to enact adult-use legalization over recent sessions without success so far have also recently said that President Donald Trump’s federal marijuana rescheduling order could grease the wheels in 2026.
For what it’s worth, another top GOP senator—Sen. Scott Martin (R), chair of the chamber’s Appropriations Committee—said in December that he was skeptical about the prospects of enacting legalization in the 2026 session, in part because of the federal classification of cannabis that’s now expected to change. Of course, marijuana would still be federally illegal under Schedule III, so it’s unclear if a simple loosening of the law would move the needle enough from his perspective.
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A top aide to Pennsylvania’s governor said in September that lawmakers should stop introducing new competing legalization bills and instead focus on building consensus on the issue—while emphasizing that any measure that advances needs to contain equity provisions if the governor is going to sign it into law.
Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), for his part, said in August 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 senator separately said recently that supporters are “picking up votes” to enact the reform this session.
Meanwhile, bipartisan Pennsylvania senators in October introduced a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to use of medical marijuana in hospitals.
Separately, 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 would be “very influential” in advancing legalization in his state, giving “political cover” to GOP members on the fence about reform.
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.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
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