Pennsylvania senators have approved a bipartisan bill that would create a new regulatory body to oversee the state’s existing medical cannabis program and intoxicating hemp products, while preparing to eventually handle the adult-use cannabis market as well.
The Senate Law & Justice Committee advanced the legislation from Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), who chairs the panel, in a 10-1 vote on Tuesday.
Laughlin said ahead of the vote that the proposed Cannabis Control Board (CCB) will “ensure accountability, consistency and public safety.”
He criticized the Department of Health, which currently oversees medical cannabis, for a program that is “bogged down by slow product, slow responses, inconsistent oversight and a lack of clarity that has frustrated both patients and legitimate businesses.”
The GOP senator also expressed concerns over unregulated hemp products that are “being sold openly in gas stations, vape shops and convenience stores across this commonwealth,” saying they are “often marketed with no testing, no labeling and no age restrictions.”
While Laughlin said the bill is “not about legalizing adult-use cannabis,” which he has separately supported, it would establish a regulatory infrastructure that could be used to oversee such a program if eventually enacted into law.
The senator previewed the measure
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