Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) escalated his push for marijuana legalization on April 7, framing the reform as a source of new public funding. "While some in Harrisburg claim we can't afford to make bigger investments in our kids, public safety, and our economy, know this: If we legalized and regulated adult-use cannabis, we'd bring in $1.3 BILLION in revenue for our Commonwealth over the first five years," Shapiro posted on social media. "Those are dollars that can be invested back into our people and our communities. Stop with the excuses. Let's get this done."
Shapiro included marijuana legalization in his budget request to lawmakers earlier this year, but the legislature has not acted. The Democratic-controlled House last year passed a bill to legalize marijuana through state-owned dispensaries; the Republican-controlled Senate has criticized that approach while declining to advance an alternative of its own.
Pennsylvania's Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) projected in February that legalization would produce nearly $500 million in annual revenue by 2028—a substantially larger estimate than the governor's own office produced. Under a structure combining a 20% wholesale cannabis excise tax, a 6% state sales tax, and licensing fees, the IFO forecast $140 million in the first implementation year (2027–2028), rising to $432 million by 2030–2031. Shapiro's office projected $36.9 million in year one from the 20% wholesale tax, growing to $223.8 million by 2030–2031.
A recent Quinnipiac University Poll found a majority of Pennsylvania voters support adult-use legalization. In February, a coalition of drug policy and civil liberties organizations urged Shapiro to convene bipartisan legislative leaders to advance legalization this session. Last month, the Senate Law and Justice Committee amended and approved a bill to create a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee the state's medical marijuana program and intoxicating hemp products—a body that could eventually regulate adult-use cannabis if legalization passes.
