Pennsylvania Senate Committee Rejects Adult-Use Legalization Bill

The Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday rejected the cannabis legalization bill passed last week by the House, FOX43 reports. State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), the committee chair, told FOX43 that while he supported some aspects of the proposal – such as the ban on public smoking and addressing DUI enforcement – he opposed the state-run dispensary system. 

“The state acting as a buyer will limit consumer choice and drive consumers out of state to legal markets like Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Ohio.” — Laughlin to FOX43   

State Sen. Losa Boscola (D) also declined to support the bill, telling FOX43 that she needed “a better bill.” 

“You show me a bill that could pass the Senate, and we can all support, then I’ll be there for you on this issue,” she said. 

The bill would have given direct control of retail cannabis sales to the state Liquor Control Board, which would have also been responsible for licensing cultivation, processing, transportation, and on-site consumption businesses – those operations could have been privately owned. 

The legislation would have also set daily sales limits of 42.5 grams – which was also the legislation’s proposed legal possession limit for adults aged 21 and over. THC limits in flower would have also been capped at 25%, while THC limits in edibles would have been capped at 5 milligrams per serving with package limits of 25 mg.