The legalization of marijuana for adult use in Pennsylvania has gained another Republican supporter introducing a bill.
Senator Regan has been circulating a memorandum hinting his intention to introduce a legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania. He explained his rationale in a guest essay circulating to the papers in his Senate district.
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Regan helped write the state’s medical marijuana program in 2016. He was a member of the state House of Representatives.
He claims that over 500,000 people in Pennsylvania have been recommended medical marijuana for treating their condition since then. He further added he wants Pennsylvanians to receive their fair share from the sale of adult-use marijuana and not the gangs and cartels whose profits are comparable to Fortune 500 companies.
Regan’s bill is yet to be filed and proposes to legalize adult-use marijuana for those above 21 and over. This proposal aims to establish a new regulatory control board like New York’s program and remove penalties for the use and possession of marijuana by adults.
He said his legislation would also address DUI enforcement and would develop education and deterrents for underage use and possession.
As per the legislative memorandum which was filed by Regan, the money raised by his legalized marijuana program would partially be used to benefit the Pennsylvania State Police and invest in the development of the state’s bridges and roads.
The Republicans in the Pennsylvania statehouse have opposed almost all marijuana legalization bills since the early 1980s.
R-Erie and Sen. Dan Laughlin have become one of the first Republicans to support the legalization of adult-use cannabis publicly.
They are also requesting to expunge records of nonviolent cannabis-related offenses. The proposal also aims to prioritize license applicants who have suffered disproportionately from the war on drugs. Laughlin earlier said that they are working to proceed with caution as this is going to take a lot of phone calls and emails to get moving through the committee process.
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Regan reportedly wrote, “For those questioning my sponsorship of such legislation, it is important to recognize that legalization of adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania is inevitable.”
He added, “As chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee and a former member of law enforcement, rather than sit idly by and allow others to shape the legislation, I am stepping up to be a leader on the issue, as I did on medical marijuana.”
