Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania has called on lawmakers this week to legalize a commercial recreational marijuana program during the fall legislative season. There are only 11 session days left before the November election according to WPMT.
The state’s medical marijuana market is now nearing half a billion dollars in sales in 2020. Recently Governor Wolf’s administration had proposed that 50% of the funding from adult-use marijuana sales be earmarked for historically disadvantaged small businesses.
On August 25th, Wolf tweeted, “I’m calling on the legislature to legalize recreational marijuana, with the revenue going to: Small business grant funding and restorative justice programs. At the same time, we must pursue policies that restore justice for individuals convicted of marijuana-related offenses.
House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) responded to Wolf’s proposal by accusing him of being “disingenuous” by putting out “an unaffordable legislative agenda.” WITF has recently reported that Republican lawmakers in the House plan to focus on limiting Wolf’s powers when they reconvene this month.
Governor Wolf believes that legalizing adult use marijuana will help Pennsylvania’s economy, which is suffering from months of shutdowns and slowdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
