Montco lawmaker seeks sponsors for bill to legalize pot
Washington. Colorado. Pennsylvania? A Democratic lawmaker from Montgomery County plans to introduce a bill making marijuana use legal in Pennsylvania.
Montco lawmaker seeks sponsors for bill to legalize pot
Washington. Colorado. Pennsylvania?
A Democratic lawmaker from Montgomery County plans to introduce a bill making marijuana use legal in Pennsylvania.
What is Sen. Daylin Leach smoking, you might ask?
Common sense, he says.
Buoyed by the legalization of marijuana by voters in Washington and Colorado in the November election, Leach is circulating a memo seeking co-sposors for his bill to make pot legal in the commonwealth.
To Leach, the war on drugs, as it relates to marijuana is a waste of money and makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens.
In Pennsylvania alone, there were 24,685 arrests for marijuana possession since 2006, according to the office of National Drug Control Policy.
That means $325 million to prosecute, incarcerate and disrupt the lives of thousands of people whose only crime, says Leach, "was smoking a plant which made them feel a bit giddy."
But could it happen in the socially conservative Pennsylvania legislature, where even medical marijuana legislation can't find its way out of committee let alone become law as it has in 19 states?
"I acknowledge that it may take a while," said Leach. "But like same-sex marriage, this will inevitably happen. Demographics and exposure will in time defeat irrational fears, old wives tales and bad science. This bill furthers the discussion, which hastens the day."
Leach said persecuting marijuana users is foolish, ill-conceived, costly and destructive policy must end.
His bill, he said, will remove the possession, use, and regulated sale of marijuana from the purview of our state's criminal justice system and legalize the consumption of marijuana for adults.
Leach adds the state could benefit from hundreds of millions in taxes on a product that continues to be trafficked underground.
Provisions of the legislation would include that marijuana be a regulated product, treated in a way similar to how alcohol is treated. It will be sold legally only in either state stores or beer distributors.
It still would be illegal to:
- Operate of motor vehicles under the influence of marijuana
- Possess narijuana if you are under the age of 21 or for an adult to sell it to a minor.
- It would be illegal to resell marijuana, as it is illegal to resell alcohol in Pennsylvania today.
- It would be illegal in public places - as alcohol is - and employers may prohibit its use on their property.
Said Leach: "It is time for Pennsylvania to be a leader in jettisoning this modern-day prohibition, and ending a policy that has been so destructive, costly, and anti-scientific."
Click here for Philly.com's politics page.
This is a no-brainer. Remove all of the expenses. Add all of the tax revenue. Change existing "negative" behavior by about 10%? System is in place for alcohol already. Make better/different use of farm land. Add sorely needed manufacturing jobs, plus distribution and all other related jobs. Best of all, get ahead of the trend and take advantage of being early in the economic learning curve. PA, this is great opportunity!— BillStrash
For you to smoke cigarettes that is very very bad, for you to smoke marijuana well that's very very good.— TimmyDay- Dazzling deduction, moron.
— wokmaster - No one is advocating the legalization of smoking marijuana, but the plant itself. If used, it should be eaten whether by tea or as an ingredient with other food or as an herbal extract. But no, it is not good to smoke anything for our lungs. They were designed for pure atmosphere. Now, if we can get rid of all of fossil fuel burning cars, we won't have to smoke car exhaust. Now that stuff will kill you. Just ask anyone who fell asleep with their car running in the garage.
- THis is just commone sense. The increase tax revenue will help off set the declining business tax base as well as making up for the loss in gasoline tax loses due to better MPG.— LGbalsac
- Fat Leach must want to be a member of the Choom Gang.— Captain Terrific
Comment removed.- This comment has been deleted. — diversity = plummeting home values
- And? diversity.
There were vast amounts of hemp grown in the past, and still, because there is a need for ROPE!— BEMiller - Sorry but it won't happen here. Pennsylvania has Philly and Pittsburgh and the state is run by everybody living in the middle of those two cities. And another thing, I am so sick of when these things you have potheads in the background with signs. You need to have people who are sick, farmers, and people in suits and ties to show the is a mainstream issue.— Vinny2501
- Marijuana is MUCH less dangerous than alcohol. Would you rather have someone driving down the road that smoked some weed or just drank a fifth of vodka? Also, how many people do we have locked up for selling? It's a victimless crime! Plus, because of overcrowding, we end up letting out rapists and murderers. CLEARLY POT SHOULD BE LEGAL!— superbig1
- Legalizing pot can't be that great if you have to pass all kinds of laws to enforce all the deadly and illegal activities relating to its use. After it's legal, maybe philly.com can print the names of people who smoke pot in their house. Libs seem so happy with the result when it was done for guns so it seems like a no-brainer.— Phillies2008WSChamps
- Let the voters of PA decide by referendum. As long as politicians are backed by pharmaceutical companies, PA residents will be waiting for it to become legal and, if needed for medicinal purposes, folks may just move to NJ. Put it to the people and who knows, we may get some more people to register to vote. The laws about marijuana are archaic and the perception perpetuated by many in law and gov't that it's a gateway drug is absurd and narrow-minded. Nature makes some amazing things that humans can utilize, like the rubber tree...and marijuana.— wilcowaits
- Yeah, that's real smart, legalize it. Marijuana is the flame, heroin is the fuse, LSD is the bomb. One leads to the other and new research suggests that THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its mind-bending properties, kills developing neurons.— ANGRY AL 2
- Al, please do your research before running your mouth.
Researchers have found that if you have addictive genetics (that is, it's easier for you to get addicted to something) nearly anything can be a gateway drunk.
And why do you think they'll only sell to those 21 and above? Brain development pretty much stops past 18 years old, and after that "developing neurons" don't exist.— BffeJ
