Pennsylvania was slated to be the next state to legalize cannabis. House Bill 1200 skated quickly through the state House to the Senate with a hefty amount of Democratic support. This bill sought to establish state-operated dispensaries that would oversee and own all adult-use sales.
Rep. Rick Kajewski included this in HB1200 to circumvent private equity firms from taking over the future fledgling space. His hopes were that the imminent industry could repair Black and Brown communities harmed by the war on drugs that made weed illegal in the first place. Many counter that the state owning all retail could work against that goal.
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State attempts to legalize weed
That cornerstone piece of the legislation giving states control of dispensary sales was met with resistance from business owners and advocacy groups. Marijuana Policy Project failed to see why the costly, time-consuming process of establishing state-run dispensaries was necessary. A stringently compliant space already existed under the medical laws.
Ethos Cannabis dispensary operates in multiple states at the recreational and medical level, Pennsylvania included. CEO Gibran Washington called for legislation that builds a strong regulatory framework that uplifts small business owners, rather than HB1200, which would edge them out altogether.
“It encourages competition, supports job creation, and ensures a more responsive and equitable cannabis market for Pennsylvanians,” Washington shared with GreenState.
After the vote yesterday, it appears this may have been a fatal error for the bill after all.
State Senators have a lot to say about HB1200
HB1200 recently tanked in a Senate committee, where every Republican (and one Democrat) voted against it totalling a vote of seven to three. Some of those who voted against specifically cited the bill and not the weed behind their reasoning.
State Senator Dan Loughlin (R) agreed with the ban on public smoking and DUI enforcement baked into the bill, but questioned Liquor Control Board (LCB)-run stores.
“The state acting as a buyer will limit consumer choice and drive consumers out of state to neighboring markets like Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio,” Loughlin said in the meeting.
State Senator Lisa Boscola was the sole Senate Democrat to vote against HB1200, but she is not necessarily against legalization.
“Show me a bill that can pass the Senate, and we can all support,” Sen. Boscola said. “I’ll be there for you on this issue. I just can’t do it today, I need a better bill.”
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Pennsylvania legalization bill fails
This bill saw its last days in the climb to becoming a law, but that does not mean it is the end for advocates pursuing legal weed. Polled Pennsylvanians continue to support cannabis legalization, with the latest showing 61 percent of voters on board. All party lines agree that immediate expansion of the current medical market to include those 21 and over would suffice.
HB1200 did not make it to the governor’s desk, but the wind is behind the sails of legalization. Democratic State Senator Marty Flynn put it astutely in the meeting.
“It’s time we in the Pennsylvania senate,” Flynn said. “Do what the people want.”
