Let’s Legalize Pennsylvania! – Sign-On Letter in Support of Adult Use Legislation

We call on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis products for adults 21 and older to advance freedom, health and safety, and justice, while generating much-needed revenue for the Commonwealth and its residents.

Each year, Pennsylvania authorities make over 10,000 arrests for cannabis possession. This mass criminalization derails lives and diverts law enforcement resources from crimes with victims. In the birthplace of American liberty, adults should be free to make their own decisions about cannabis, as they can do in five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states.

Prohibition also drives cannabis sales underground and across state lines, depriving Pennsylvania of regulatory control. Meanwhile, intoxicating hemp is now readily available in the Commonwealth without health and safety regulations. By legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults, Pennsylvania can bar sales to youth, stop forcing consumers to turn to potentially dangerous synthetics and additives, and ensure products are lab-tested.

At a time when Pennsylvania is facing a structural deficit and painful federal cuts, the Commonwealth is leaving hundreds of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue on the table. Pennsylvanians are facing the prospect of devastating cuts to services they depend on, especially for our neighbors who are most in need, such as the elderly and impoverished. While cannabis legalization is not a cure-all, hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue per year can make an enormous difference in Pennsylvanians’ lives. 

We urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to get cannabis legalization done without further delay, and to ensure the proposal is rooted in personal liberty, health and safety, and justice.