Pennsylvania lawmakers pass first adult-use marijuana legalization bill

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For the first time, the Pennsylvania state House advanced an adult-use marijuana legalization bill on Wednesday.

However, Republican lawmakers in the state Senate warned that the Democratic-sponsored proposal, which advanced on a 102-101 party-line vote, is “dead on arrival,” Spotlight PA reported.

With annual medical marijuana sales totaling roughly $1.7 billion, the Keystone State is considered one of the biggest potential new markets for the U.S. marijuana industry once legalization is passed.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has repeatedly called on state lawmakers to legalize adult-use marijuana.

And with the state staring down a sizable budget deficit, lawmakers are under pressure to find new sources of revenue.

However, House Bill 1200, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Rick Krajewski, has no Republican support and is considered unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate.

That’s in part because HB1200 would limit marijuana sales to state-run retail outlets.

That’s how liquor is sold in Pennsylvania, but it would be a first in the U.S. – and wouldn’t be much help for medical-cannabis operators seeking to grow their businesses.

It’s the proposal for a state-run sales model that’s a nonstarter with legalization supporters like Republican state Sen. Dan Laughlin and his GOP colleagues.

In a statement, Laughlin reiterated earlier opposition to a state store model.

“As someone who has advocated for a responsible approach to legalization, I have repeatedly made it clear that there is zero chance that the state store model will make it through the Senate,” he said, according to Spotlight PA.

A state-run sales model would also run afoul of federal marijuana prohibition, potentially putting state revenue at risk, according to an analysis commissioned by the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition, an organization of existing MMJ businesses.

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