Pennsylvania State Representatives Jake Wheatley, D, and Dan Frankel, D, officially introduced their recreational cannabis legalization bill on September 28. Earlier in 2021, both representatives urged fellow lawmakers to consider recreational cannabis as they were drafting a bill. Now that bill has been introduced as HB 2050.
Recreational Cannabis
Under HB 2050, adults 21 and over can purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis. Additionally, adults can apply for a permit to begin their own home cultivation process of cannabis. Individuals possessing a permit can have up to three mature and three immature plants growing in their residence.
13 percent excise tax would apply to all legal sales. Revenue will split three separate ways. 15 percent would go towards community reinvestment. Another 15 percent would go to substance misuse treatment programs. The remaining 70 percent would go towards the state general fund.
Retail cannabis licenses would be prioritized to those who were severely impacted by cannabis criminalization and prohibition. Veterans will also take priority. This encourages local and small businesses to flourish.
Finally, HB 2050 offers automatic expungement language for people with cannabis convictions. Those incarcerated with cannabis offenses to be made legal under HB 2050 will also be released.
Lawmaker Response
“We think we have the industry standard,” Representative Wheatley said at a press conference. “You’ve heard me over and over again, year after year, talk about this important issue. For some, it’s an economic question. For others, it’s a question around access and opportunity. But the baseline of why I’ve been harping on this for as long as I have is the social and criminal justice reform aspects.”
“Failed cannabis policies of the past have resulted in the worst of all possible worlds: insufficient protection of the public health, aggressive enforcement that disproportionately harms communities of color and zero revenue for this commonwealth,” added Representative Frankel. “With this legislation, Pennsylvania can begin to repair the historical harms and reap the benefits of a fact-based approach to regulating the cultivation, commerce and use of cannabis for adults over 21 years old.”
Moving forward, both representatives of HB 2050 want to keep social equity at the forefront of the bill. They say that’s how Pennsylvania will succeed. Surrounding states New York and New Jersey legalized recreational cannabis within the last year, and Pennsylvania could become the next state to offer it.
Future
HB 2050 has a long journey ahead of it, with committee hearings in the House before a full House vote. Should it pass there, then it moves to the Republican Senate, which has blocked legalization efforts previously. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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