Pennsylvania lawmakers might soon take another crack at legalizing adult-use marijuana.
Democratic state Sen. Marty Flynn of Scranton plans to introduce the Keystone Cannabis Act, which would legalize a recreational cannabis market, set up a regulatory authority and distribute proceeds to a reinvestment fund that includes social equity provisions.
However, Flynn doesn’t yet have any co-sponsors, according to a state legislative tracker.
And time is running out to incorporate adult-use legalization into a state budget that’s due June 30.
Flynn’s proposal follows the state Senate’s recent rejection of an adult-use proposal that restricted sales to state-run retail outlets.
According to Flynn, his proposal “represents a commonsense opportunity to modernize our cannabis laws by delivering lasting economic benefits to communities across the Commonwealth while balancing individual liberty with public safety.”
Flynn’s bill would:
- Create an independent commission to regulate adult-use marijuana sales in Pennsylvania. The panel would include representatives from state health and agricultural regulators as well as state police and the attorney general.
- Create a “community reinvestment fund” that would distribute cannabis revenue, estimated at $500 million annually, to both urban and rural areas.
- Prioritize licenses for “applicants from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition.”
- Create packaging and labeling requirements that include “strict standards” enforced against labs “to prevent falsified results or conflicts of interest.”
Pennsylvania “adults should be free to make their own decisions about cannabis use – just as they do with alcohol and tobacco – without unnecessary government interference,” Flynn said in a statement.
It’s not yet clear whether this proposal will win over the Republican-controlled state Senate that rejected legalization earlier this month after historic passage in the Pennsylvania House.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has repeatedly said that he’ll sign legalization into law if the state General Assembly can pass a bill.
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