SSDP’s Hosts Lobby Days in Pennsylvania to Legalize Cannabis
SSDP’s PA Cannabis Day of Unity brought together a bipartisan coalition in support of legalizing cannabis for adult use in Pennsylvania.
On Monday, October 27, SSDP hosted a booth in the Main Rotunda of the State Capitol, and dropped off literature to the PA House & Senate in support of cannabis legalization.
The following morning on Tuesday, October 28, SSDP hosted a press conference that brought together leaders from both sides of the aisle to share insights, real life experiences, and diverse voices to share with lawmakers that the time is NOW to legalize cannabis in PA. View the press conference video below.
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 liberty, adults should be free to make their own decisions about cannabis, as they can do in five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states.
By legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults, Pennsylvania can bar sales to youth, mandate child-resistant packaging, prohibit potentially dangerous synthetics and additives, and ensure products are lab-tested.
We are grateful for our press conference speakers including, Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), Kat Murti (SSDP), Alex Domingos (ACLU-PA), Sara Jacobsen (Public Defender Association of PA), Christi Smith (Law Enforcement Action Partnership), Susan Ousterman (Vilomah Foundation), Merryn Spence (SSDP), Kristal Bush (Free My Weedman), Theresa Nightingale (NORML), and gina vensel (SSDP) for joining us in the fight to legalize cannabis in PA.
SSDP met with Republican and Democratic lawmakers while in Harrisburg, and shared our call 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 needed revenue for the Commonwealth and its residents.
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.
Keep posted to SSDP’s blog for updates on SB 49, the bipartisan bill to create a regulatory body in preparation for legalization. We are in full support of a creation of a PA Cannabis Control Board, and will be sharing updates on adult use progress as it unfolds.
