A Pennsylvania lawmaker introduced a bill on Wednesday that would legalize the recreational sale of cannabis and make state-run liquor stores the only authorized retailer of marijuana products. The measure, House Bill 1899, was introduced by Democratic state Rep. David Delloso of Delaware County.
Delloso said in a statement that restricting sales of cannabis to the state’s network of liquor stores would ensure that local businesses benefit the most from legalization.
“What I’m afraid of is, without this bill, if we don’t sell cannabis in the state stores, big corporate interests throughout the United States are going to come to Pennsylvania and they’re going to put corner stores up,” he said. “They aren’t going to provide family sustaining jobs, and all the profits are going to leave Pennsylvania.”
Under the bill, adults 21 and older would be permitted to legally possess and consume marijuana. Adults would be allowed to give away small amounts of cannabis, but sales would be restricted to businesses licensed by the state. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) would be responsible for licensing businesses to produce marijuana for sale at the state-controlled stores.
The measure also contains provisions that would expunge the records of those convicted of marijuana possession and inmates currently incarcerated for such offenses would be released. Also, employers would be prohibited from firing or disciplining employees if a drug screening indicates the “presence of a nonintoxicating level of cannabis.”
Legalizing recreational cannabis would be an economic boon for the state, according to Pennsylvania’s Budget and Policy Center, which estimates that doing so would create 18,000 jobs and result in $581 million in tax revenues to the state each year.
“It is time for us