Legalizing adult recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania faces uphill battle

Pennsylvania is facing an uphill legislative struggle to legalize adult recreational marijuana use despite what appears to be growing public support for bringing cannabis out of the shadows.

Some Republicans in a party that controls the state’s House and Senate are calling for a timeout on the initiative, including Sen. Camera Bartolotta of Carroll Township.

“We need more research on medicinal before jumping into recreational,” said Bartolotta.

The debate has heated up as Lt. Gov. John Fetterman continues his “listening tour” of all of Pennsylvania’s counties to gather opinions on legalizing the drug for personal consumption.

“I think it’s an important conversation to have and an important public policy,” Fetterman said in early March, when the Observer-Reporter in Washington and Herald-Standard in Uniontown teamed up to produce a three-part series on the topic.

As for public support for legalizing pot, the latest March 25 poll from Franklin & Marshall College showed that 59% of the respondents supported legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania.

G. Terry Madonna, director of the college’s Center for Politics & Public Affairs, said most of the support came from millennials, Democrats and Philadelphia residents. [Read more at Observer-Reporter]