HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman today held a press conference to announce the final report from the statewide recreational marijuana tour and proposed next steps as a result of input from thousands of Pennsylvanians who attended a listening session or submitted input via an online form.
“The Lt. Gov. made good on his promise to visit all 67 counties to hear from Pennsylvanians about whether or not they support the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana in the state,” Wolf said.
“And among the many who voiced their opinions, the majority supported legalization.”
In addition to the public and media, all local elected officials were invited to each tour stop. By a show of hands, a majority of attendees supported legalization in all but a handful of counties. Key takeaways from the tour are included in the report.
The report is comprised of two sections. The first section examines the volumes of correspondence received through an online form hosted on the governor’s Web site, remarks made, and comment cards received at tour stops, and all other comments received by the lieutenant governor’s office in various formats.
It includes a county-by-county breakdown of support and opposition, including the most common arguments received for and against legalization during the tour.
The second section highlights positive and negative results of legalization among individual states where recreational marijuana has been legalized.
Fetterman said he appreciates the comments from thousands of Pennsylvanians he met during the tour, and those who forwarded their comments through the online form and via other means.
“We’ve heard you, and this announcement today is our earnest effort to bring about the changes you’ve told us you want,” Fetterman said.
In addition to announcing the report, Wolf and Fetterman called for three actions:
- Asking the legislature to get a bill to the governor’s desk that decriminalizes non-violent and small cannabis-related offenses.
- Seeking a path to restorative justice through the expungement of past convictions of non-violent and small cannabis-related crimes.
- Calling on the General Assembly to seriously debate and consider the legalization of adult-use, recreational marijuana.
“We now know the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of legalization, and that includes me,” Wolf said.
“I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together, especially the criminal justice reforms I am proposing today, which will have an immediately positive influence on thousands of families across Pennsylvania.
“Thank you again to Lt. Gov. Fetterman for conducting this important research, and to all the Pennsylvanians who took the time to attend a tour stop, write a letter or make a phone call to make their opinion known.”
