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Senator urges focus on oversight, medical fixes and a realistic path forward
HARRISBURG – Following the Senate Law and Justice Committee’s vote to reject a proposal legalizing adult-use cannabis through a state-run retail model, committee chairman Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-49) criticized the bill as unworkable and reaffirmed his commitment to advancing meaningful cannabis legislation that can become law in Pennsylvania.
Laughlin said House Bill 1200 was doomed from the start.
“I have said repeatedly that a state-store model for adult-use cannabis will not pass the Senate. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact,” Laughlin said. “The House moving HB 1200 forward and sending it to the Senate was not a serious effort to legalize cannabis. It was a political move meant to shift blame for inaction, when I have yet to receive a single call from House leadership or the bill sponsors to discuss the concept.”
While Laughlin acknowledged that the House and Senate may have different ideas about how adult-use legalization should be structured, he emphasized that there are more immediate and urgent issues within the cannabis space that demand attention.
“There are serious challenges we can and should address right now,” Laughlin said. “Our medical marijuana program needs critical reforms. Hemp-derived THC products are being sold openly in gas stations and tobacco shops with no regulation, no testing and no age verification. And the continued reliance on the black market poses real risks to public safety.”
Laughlin said these problems could be effectively addressed through the creation of a Cannabis Control Board — a new regulatory body that would bring oversight, consistency and accountability to both the state’s medical program and the expanding gray market of hemp-derived intoxicants.
He also pushed back on the idea that symbolic bills with no chance of passage serve any productive purpose in the legislative process.
“I remain committed to crafting a cannabis bill that can pass the Senate and be signed into law to benefit all Pennsylvanians,” Laughlin said. “That starts with honest dialogue from everyone involved, including House leadership and the governor, to develop a realistic approach – not political theater.”
CONTACT:
Chris Carroll; 814-453-2515
“}]] Following the Senate Law and Justice Committee’s vote to reject a proposal legalizing adult-use cannabis through a state-run retail model, committee chairman Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-49) criticized the bill as unworkable and reaffirmed his commitment to advancing meaningful cannabis legislation that can become law in Pennsylvania. Read More
