While bipartisan conversations surrounding marijuana legalization in PA have gained momentum over the past few months, state lawmakers are facing lofty issues that need to be solved before a legalization bill can pass.
These issues were made starkly apparent on Tuesday, March 1st during a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing, convened by State Rep. Amen Brown. During the two hour hearing in West Philadelphia, PA lawmakers heard testimonies from citizens and medical marijuana patients who urged state leaders to consider mass expungement of cannabis convictions and protect a potential recreational market from the big business, “white cartels” that have monopolized the medical marijuana market.
Lawmakers researching the legalization of medical marijuana will need to consider criminal and economic justice, work-related and driver safety, and much more before a bill can be passed. After all, many medical marijuana patients have faced criminal charges and DUI convictions for having THC in their system—issues like these will need to be addressed before marijuana is legalized recreationally.