PA Cannabis Day of Unity: Bipartisan Advocate Coalition and Lawmakers Call on Pennsylvania to Legalize Cannabis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gina Giorgio
Director of Strategy and Development
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
PA Cannabis Day of Unity: Bipartisan Advocate Coalition and Lawmakers Call on Pennsylvania to Legalize Cannabis
Advocates call on lawmakers to pass SB 120 and finally bring fair, regulated cannabis legalization to Pennsylvania — one of the last two Northeast states without adult-use legalization.
Led by local chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), PA Cannabis Day of Unity will spotlight the urgent need for cannabis reform that advances freedom, health and safety, and justice.
Harrisburg, PA — On Monday, October 27 and Tuesday, October 28, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and coalition partners will host a two-day Pennsylvania Cannabis Day of Unity at the State Capitol in Harrisburg to call for the legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis for adults 21 and older.
The event includes an educational exhibit and advocacy day in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, followed by a press conference on Tuesday, October 28 from 9:00–10:00 AM in the Main Rotunda, along with legislative meetings, and planned literature drops to all 253 offices in the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives.
Together, advocates, medical professionals, criminal justice reform leaders, and impacted families will urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 120, a bipartisan measure to join its five neighboring states and finally legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis responsibly and equitably.
A Unified Grassroots Movement
Planned by members of SSDP’s seven Pennsylvania-based chapters — Drexel University, Susquehanna State University, Villanova University, Temple University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Community Chapter, and Scranton Community Chapter — alongside representatives from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), PA Cannabis Day of Unity calls upon Pennsylvania Legislators to listen to their constituents — including SSDP’s over 400 Pennsylvania members — and finally fully legalize cannabis in the state.
“As a Pennsylvania native, mother, homeowner, SSDP Board Member, and co-founder of Plant Media Project, I believe it’s time for our Commonwealth to move forward with sensible cannabis reform. Legalizing adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania will not only generate much-needed tax revenue and create jobs, but also reduce arrests, protect young people, and provide pathways for restorative justice,” said gina vensel, an Appointed Director on SSDP’s Board of Directors, SSDP’s Director of Communications and Events, and a member of the Pittsburgh Community Chapter.
“We have the opportunity to build an equitable industry that uplifts small businesses and communities harmed by prohibition. Let’s bring common sense, compassion, and economic opportunity home to Pennsylvania.”
Press Conference: Tuesday at 9:00 AM ET
On Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, representatives from organizations advocating on behalf of students, parents, medical professionals, public defenders, law enforcement, cannabis consumers, those unjustly incarcerated for cannabis crimes, small business, and more will come together for a press conference in the Main Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.
Speakers will include vensel; SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti; Pittsburgh SSDP member and Pittsburgh NORML co-leader Theresa Nightingale; MPP Executive Director and SSDP founding member Adam Smith; Merryn Spence, a student and Elected Director on SSDP’s Board of Directors; Sara Jacobsen of the Pennsylvania Association of Public Defenders; former probation and parole officer Christi M. Smith, speaking on behalf of LEAP; cannabis entrepreneur Kyle Page, who served over eight years in prison for cannabis charges; Kristal Bush, founder of Free My Weedman; Susan Ousterman, who channeled her grief after losing a child to opioid overdose into founding the Vilomah Memorial Foundation; Dr. Scott Mueller of Doctors for Drug Policy Reform (D4DPR), and Alex Domingos of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA).
“Doctors for Drug Policy Reform (D4DPR) applauds Pennsylvania’s proposal to legalize cannabis, a vital step toward protecting public health and avoiding the well-documented harms of prohibition. Only cannabis legalization replaces the illegal market with a responsible, regulated system — one that requires licensees to check IDs to prevent sales to minors, mandates laboratory testing, and prohibits hazardous additives and pesticides,” said Dr. Scott Mueller of Doctors for Drug Policy Reform.
“It’s time for our laws to catch up with the opinion of the people and free individuals to make their own decisions about cannabis, just as our neighboring states have already done. The problem isn’t cannabis; it’s how much of our tax dollars we waste on the biased over-policing of cannabis possession in our communities. The ACLU-PA is for legalization because it’s a clear-cut opportunity to redirect resources and create a safer, fairer Pennsylvania for us all,” said Alex Domingos of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.
New Sign-On Statement: Let’s Legalize Pennsylvania
Advocates will be delivering educational materials to every office in the Pennsylvania State Legislature, including a new sign-on statement, released Monday morning by SSDP, and co-signed by 17 other organizations spanning the political spectrum, including MPP, ACLU-PA, LEAP, NORML, D4DPR, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania (PDAP), Last Prisoner Project (LPP), Freedom Grow, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA), Marijuana Justice, End It for Good, the Asian Cannabis Roundtable, the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA), Mission Green, and the National Coalition for Drug Legalization (NCDL).
The statement, drafted by SSDP and MPP, reads:
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.
About SB 120 — Sensible Cannabis Legalization for Pennsylvania
Senate Bill 120 offers a responsible and equitable framework for adult-use cannabis legalization in the Commonwealth. The bill prioritizes equity by ensuring licenses are accessible to individuals from communities most harmed by prohibition and to small, local businesses. It provides for automatic expungement of low-level cannabis convictions through Clean Slate provisions, restoring rights to thousands of Pennsylvanians. Medical cannabis patients are protected under the measure, which also allows existing permit holders to transition seamlessly into the adult-use market.
“It is far past time that Pennsylvania joined our neighboring states in legalizing adult-use cannabis,” says Pennsylvania resident, Vice Chair of SSDP’s youth-led Board of Directors, and leader of SSDP’s Pittsburgh Community Chapter Julia Hilbert. “Continued criminalization only serves to continue the harms of the War on Drugs inflicted upon Pennsylvanians, their families, and their communities. SB120 is a bipartisan bill allowing for equitable cannabis legalization in our commonwealth, and it reinvests in Pennsylvania”.
To promote public health and safety, SB 120 establishes strict regulations on potency, packaging, and labeling, while prohibiting marketing aimed at minors. Furthermore, it dedicates cannabis tax revenue to programs that advance equity, workforce development, medical assistance, prevention, and general community reinvestment. Unlike competing proposals, SB 120 rejects a “state store” model, instead empowering independent, community-based entrepreneurs — ensuring that economic opportunity is shared widely.
Action Alert: Tell Your Lawmakers to Support SB 120
SB 120 was introduced on July 10, 2025, and is currently pending in the Senate Law and Justice Committee, awaiting a full Senate vote. Supporters are encouraged to contact their legislators through SSDP’s Pennsylvania Action Alert to urge a “YES” vote on the bill. Sponsored by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R) and Sen. Sharif Street (D), SB 120 creates a fair and evidence-based framework for adult-use cannabis that prioritizes small business opportunity, equity, expungement, and public safety.
Why Pennsylvania Must Act Now
Each year, over 10,000 Pennsylvanians are arrested for cannabis possession, diverting law enforcement resources from real public safety threats. Five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states have already legalized adult use, creating a patchwork that drives unregulated cannabis sales across state lines and deprives the Commonwealth of oversight and revenue.
At a time of growing fiscal strain, legalization could generate hundreds of millions in annual tax revenue, funding critical services, public health programs, and community reinvestment.
“Just last year, police arrested 12,707 Pennsylvanians for cannabis—a plant which is legal in the majority of the country, including every state bordering Pennsylvania. The War on Cannabis in Pennsylvania is a war on each one of these individuals, on their families and communities, and on the public health, safety, and economy of the entire state,” said SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti. “Pennsylvanians deserve sensible cannabis policies, including full legalization, the end of arrests, and opportunities for economic growth.”
Media Contact:
Gina Giorgio – gina@ssdp.org
With chapters on campuses and in communities across the country, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is the largest national youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. Our national staff, Board of Directors, chapters, and alumni work together to replace the disastrous War on Drugs with policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights, at a grassroots level.
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For more information, please visit: https://ssdp.org.
