Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman held a press conference on Friday to announce the final report from the recent statewide listening tour and reveal the proposed next steps based on the input of thousands of residents who attended listening sessions or submitted feedback online.
Governor Wolf says that Fetterman made good on his promise to visit all 67 counties and hear from Pennsylvanians about whether they support the legalization of adult-use marijuana in the state.
Wolf says that, among the many who voiced their opinions, the majority supported legalization.
Members of the public, media, and local elected officials were invited to attend each stop of the tour where a show of hands would reveal that most attendees supported adult-use cannabis legalization in all but a small number of counties.
“We now know the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of legalization, and that includes me,” said Governor Wolf. “I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together, especially the criminal justice reforms I am proposing today, which will have an immediately positive influence on thousands of families across Pennsylvania.”
The first section of the report takes a look at public responses from the governor’s website as well as remarks, comment cards collected at tour stops, and all other forms of comments received by Lt. Governor Fetterman.
The second section of the report focuses on the pros and cons of cannabis legalization in states where adult-use is permitted.
In addition to the report announcement, Wolf and Fetterman also called for the legislature to pass a bill that decriminalizes non-violent and small cannabis-related offenses.
Wolf and Fetterman also called for the General Assembly to debate and consider adult-use cannabis legalization as well as seek a path to restorative justice through the expungement of past convictions for minor and non-violent cannabis-related crimes.
