Pennsylvania Governor Proposes Taxes on Pot, but No Legalization Bill

Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor, presented Tuesday his budget proposal. It included a plan for levying a tax on marijuana sales. Shapiro’s proposal, however, is a nod to a weed-friendly feature of Pennsylvania. The budget includes estimates that suggest that adult-use sales would start in January 2025 and bring in approximately $16 million in tax revenues that year. “Legalize marijuana. It should be regulated. Tax it,” Shapiro stated on Twitter in 2021. He also stressed the importance of any new cannabis legislation to include social equity provisions to correct past wrongs of the Drug War. “But let’s be clear: legalization should include expungement of those currently in jail or who have been sentenced for possessing small amounts marijuana,” Shapiro added in the tweet. “Soon we will be introducing legislation to do just that.” “Soon we will be introducing legislation to do just that.”Frankel and Bullock highlighted the ubiquity of cannabis use in Pennsylvania–both through the state’s established medical marijuana program, and the illicit market.”Pennsylvanians are using cannabis,” they wrote in the memo. “Some of that cannabis can be legally sold to patients through the medical marijuana program. These products are regulated to ensure safety and producers pay for the program’s management costs.” “Cannabis is also illegally sold in Pennsylvania,” the lawmakers said. We don’t know what it contains, how it was made or where it came from. We know it is sold to young people and that we do not receive any tax benefits for our communities. However, we do know that cannabis is often found in the hands of black Pennsylvanians, according to data compiled by NORML. According to data compiled and maintained by NORML by Pennsylvania State Police, while white and black people use cannabis in equal amounts, black Pennsylvanians are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for using cannabis. The Inquirer reported that several legislators have filed memos regarding legalization proposals. These memos give an idea of what an adult-use marketplace could look like, though it’s not clear when or if a legalization bill will ever be passed.