Marijuana Moment
The Pennsylvania Senate has rejected a bill to create a new Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee the state’s medical marijuana program and intoxicating hemp products—though lawmakers made an immediate motion to revive the proposal. The body contemplated under the legislation could also one day oversee recreational cannabis if it is legalized in the state.
The measure from Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), which would also recriminalize many hemp THC products, was defeated in a 27-23 vote on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, however, a motion to reconsider the proposal was approved in a vote of 29-21. It’s not yet clear when the body will take the bill back up.
“This legislation is about protecting Pennsylvania families, consumers, patients and, most importantly, our children,” Laughlin said ahead of the initial vote. “Today, intoxicating hemp products are sold throughout every corner of Pennsylvania, in every Senate district, with zero oversight. These dangerous and psychoactive products can be found in convenience stores, smoke shops, gas stations and online marketplaces with no testing standards, no labeling, or safeguards to prevent access by children.”
The senator argued that creation of a new CCB is “necessary” because management of the medical cannabis program by the Department of Health “has too often been marked by inconsistency and delay.”
“The department has allowed Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program to drift further and further from its original purpose,” he said, citing “lax oversight and ever-expanding interpretation of qualifying conditions.”
“The program has increasingly operated as a de facto tax-free adult use market without the transparency, accountability or statutory framework,” Laughlin said. “Businesses and patients have experienced slow approvals, conflicting guidance, years-long delay in remediation reviews, uncertainty regarding workplace policies and regulatory decisions that have ultimately been overturned by the courts.”
“These inconsistencies undermine confidence in the system and distract from what should be our primary mission: serving and protecting our patients. A dedicated Cannabis Control Board will provide focused expertise, consistent enforcement and transparent decision making.”
Sen. Sharif Street (D), who has partnered with Laughlin on separate legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, said “we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“My colleague has outlined many really good things that are addressed in this bill. Are there other things that are not sure? Are there other things that we could be doing in the space of cannabis? Absolutely,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that today this legislation isn’t worthy of a positive vote… Should we pass it today, it would go to the House and there will be opportunity for additional work to be done in the legislation.”
