Sen.
Committee Chairman Mike Regan, R-Cumberland/York, said no written testimony was turned away and all will be shared with committee members.
Regan has circulated a co-sponsor memo for a proposed bill that would allow legalize the use of marijuana by adults 21 and older.
Further, he points to New York and New Jersey’s recent moves to legalize adult-use marijuana while the other surrounding states of Delaware, Maryland and Ohio are discussing it.
There, it could be regulated by staff members who understand licensing, science, compliance, security and more, said Jamie Ware, chair of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition.
Deborah Miran, former commissioner of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, said in most states the medical program suffered once adult-use cannabis was legalized.
Even with an adult-use program, the former executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission said there remains a need for a medical marijuana program.
“Cannabis consumers are very price sensitive and typically, when you get to around 10% to 15% more than the illicit market, you’ll start to see a shift” that drives people back to the illicit market, said Bryan Murray, executive vice president for the cannabis operator Acreage Holdings.
He pointed out cannabis taxes imposed in Oregon, Nevada, Alaska and California generate only enough to cover 1% of their state budget.
But Ward indicated she remains unconvinced that legalizing adult-use cannabis is the right move.
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