Cannabis legalization in Pennsylvania has both enjoyed the support of the governor and been subject to the reluctance of the state’s Republican legislators. On Tuesday, another push to regulate the drug was initiated when Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced House Bill 2050. 

Wheatley has proposed cannabis legalization in the past, including last year’s unsuccessful HB 50. Since then, the state’s lieutenant governor has embarked on a cannabis listening tour, and the governor has underlined his support for recreational marijuana legislation. 

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s 2020 hemp program began accepting applications from commercial growers and processors last week.

Last year, 324  farmers in the state planted just over 4,000 acres and the Department is hoping for an even busier season in 2020. In 2019, caps on the number of hemp permits and acreage were lifted.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s 2020 hemp program will begin accepting applications from both commercial growers and processors in the commonwealth tomorrow, January 4, 2020. This marks the second year for Pennsylvania’s commercial-scale growing program which builds on the department’s pilot research program that had a two-year run.

The Farm Show is chock full of products coming from Pennsylvania’s agricultural industries. This year’s show has a larger showing than last year of one of its newer commodities: hemp.

Hemp is featured at the Farm Show in unique ways, from a house built from hempcrete, to clothing made from hemp materials, to a BMW car that has 14% of its content made out of hemp.

A new effort to legalize recreational cannabis is coming to the Keystone State. Pennsylvania lawmakers Daylin Leach and Sharif Street are hoping to build support for their latest proposal, Senate Bill 350 which they introduced on October 15th. The bill would allow for both home delivery and the automatic expungement of many previous criminal convictions related to marijuana. The bill’s supporters estimate it will generate $500 million in tax revenue within twelve months.

In contrast to the approach of many other states, Senate Bill 350 contains a provision allowing home grower permits for personal use. The bill also envisions “use lounges” where individuals can legally consume marijuana brought from outside the establishment.

A majority of Pennsylvania voters support legalizing cannabis for recreational use, a new Franklin & Marshall College poll shows.

What they don’t want? Marijuana sold through the commonwealth’s more than 600 state-owned liquor stores.

The poll released Thursday shows 58 percent of voters support legalization, a number consistent with March polling by the Lancaster, Pa.-based college.

Pollsters also asked, “How likely would you be to support the legalization of marijuana if it were sold by the state liquor stores instead of by private companies?”