Philadelphia residents are calling for statewide legislation of marijuana.
Voters have strongly approved a referendum on legalizing marijuana. The measure adds a section to the city charter saying that “the citizens of Philadelphia call upon the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor to pass legislation that will decriminalize, regulate, and tax the use, and sale to adults aged 21 years or older, of cannabis for non-medical purposes.”
Preliminary results this week had showed the proposal leading by a 73 percent to 27 percent margin, with 96 percent of electoral divisions in the city reporting.
Councilmember Derek Green (D) sponsored the measure to put the cannabis question on the ballot, and it was unanimously approved by the Council and signed by the mayor in June.
Both Governor Tom Wolf (D) and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) are already on board with legalization and have encouraged lawmakers to make the policy change.
Sens. Dan Laughlin (R) and Sharif Street (D) unveiled the nearly 240-page legislation after first outlining some key details back in February.
Fetterman, who is running for U.S. Senate, told Marijuana Moment in an interview that he’s optimistic about the prospects of reform with these latest proposals.
Wolf has also said that a bipartisan approach to legalization “would be a great thing. I think the time is right.”
