State Senate committee rejects bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania

Ford Turner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 13, 2025

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HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Republican-led Senate Committee on Tuesday rejected a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania less than a week after it passed the Democratic-led House, and the Senate Republican leader subsequently cast doubt on whether the issue could move forward.

The Senate Law & Justice Committee voted 7-3 Tuesday morning to defeat the bill that would have had the state Liquor Control Board run stores that would sell marijuana. It had passed the House on a 102-101 vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman of Indiana County told the Post-Gazette that any hope of a bipartisan marijuana deal appeared bleak.

"Right now I don't see a consensus among our caucus that we should move forward on the issue," Pittman said. "Obviously, members have a very wide range of opinions on the issue. But I don't see it as being ready for prime time, and I believe that what the House did last week further underscored that the issue is not ready for prime time."

Pittman criticized the bill that came out of the House — using a state-run system as opposed to a more private one — as "unserious" and a "ruse." He said, "There is no logical reason or explanation why such a serious topic and a serious issue would have been relegated to a process that is impractical and not understandable."

Pittman's statements appeared to cast doubt on whether any deal on recreational marijuana is possible this budget season. But the leader of House Democrats, Rep. Matt Bradford of Montgomery County, told reporters his chamber had proven it could move on the issue, and he noted that many Senate Law & Justice Committee members appeared amenable to support some kind of marijuana bill.

"It's up to the Senate to move forward," Mr. Bradford said. He also pointed out that a "budgetary timeline" is in play.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is pro-legalization, put more than $500 million in revenue in his proposed 2025-26 budget from the anticipated implementation of a recreational marijuana law.

Last week, Shapiro called the House action an important step "Obviously, it's the beginning," Shapiro said. "This is going to have to go through some bipartisan compromise."

Speaking during the meeting Tuesday morning where the vote occurred, Law & Justice Committee Chairman Dan Laughlin said finding a compromise might be difficult, but it was possible. He said Shapiro "is going to have to roll his sleeves up and help do some of the work" and that "I have not seen that yet."

Pittman also said he thought Shapiro has not "engaged in a way that would demonstrate leadership to try to get such a complex issue across the finish line."

During the committee vote, Democratic Sen. Lisa Boscola of Northampton County joined all Republicans in voting against the bill.

Laughlin, who has put forth his own plan for legalization, said the one that was put to a vote Tuesday "certainly was not my favorite version of an adult-use bill."

Laughlin said one of the problems with the House-passed bill was that it set up the state as the main wholesale buyer of marijuana, which would then be sold in state-run stores. Laughlin said that would limit consumer choice and drive customers to other nearby states that have established sales systems.

A proponent, Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna, cited those neighboring states as a reason to pass the bill.

"As people move out of the Keystone State, year in and year out, we are the last to come to this important issue," Flynn said. "It is time we get this done."

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