The governor of Pennsylvania is again calling on lawmakers to move forward with marijuana legalization—and he indicated that a proposed “softening ” of federal cannabis laws through rescheduling could bolster the push for reform.
As part of his latest budget request, which was released on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said it’s past time for the legislature to deliver an adult-use legalization bill to his desk. Not only would it represent a valuable economic engine for the commonwealth, but it would reflect policy changes that are being enacted in neighboring states and at the federal level, he argued.
The 2026-2027 executive budget notes that the federal government has taken “steps to reform its approach to cannabis,” seemingly referencing a proposal to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). It’s also the case that “other states put in place responsible regulations.”
“Pennsylvania remains stuck in place, without commonsense protections and losing out on critical tax revenue and new business to neighboring states. All of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states, except for West Virginia, have legal adult use cannabis policies and regulation,” it says. “This budget proposes a regulatory framework to legalize and tax adult use cannabis and
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