By Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Tuesday announced the state budgetThis included plans to tax the sale of marijuana.
The sale of cannabis is still illegal in Pennsylvania.
But Shapiro’s proposal is in favor of Keystone State’s weed-friendly features.
The governor’s first-term budget “proposes an adult-use cannabis tax to be levied on the wholesale price of products sold through the regulated framework of the production and distribution system after legalization.”
“The proposed rate is 20% of the wholesale price of cannabis products sold through the regulated framework.” read the budget.
The proposal includes an estimate that “the sale will begin on January 1, 2025, with the first revenue collected in 2024-2025.”
but, Philadelphia Inquirer I got it, Shapiro’s budget “does not include policy changes proposed in the budget.”
according to Inquirer, Shapiro’s “proposal includes estimates that assume adult sales will begin in January 2025, bringing about $16 million in tax revenue that year… [and] tax revenue [would] It will increase to $64.1 million in 2026, $132.6 million in 2027 and $188.8 million in 2028. “
Pennsylvania Democrats, including Shaprio, who was elected governor last year, have said they want to legalize marijuana in the state.
“Legalize marijuana. Regulate it. Tax it.” Shapiro said on Twitter in 2021:
He also emphasized the importance of new cannabis laws, including social equity clauses to rectify previous wrongs of the war on drugs.
“But let me be clear: legalization must include the expungement of anyone in prison or serving time for possessing small amounts of marijuana,” Shapiro continued in a tweet. Our black and brown communities have been disproportionately affected by this for too long.”
Two Pennsylvania legislators filed a memo earlier this year saying they want to pass a cannabis legalization bill this year.
“It’s time to regulate and tax this staple agricultural commodity for the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians,” said Democratic Rep. Dan Frankel and Rep. Donna Bullock. memo, was released in January. “Soon we will have legislation to do just that.”
Frankel and Bullock emphasized the ubiquity of cannabis use, both through Pennsylvania’s established medical marijuana programs and through the illicit market.
“Pennsylvanians use cannabis,” they wrote in a note. “Some of that cannabis is legally sold to patients through medical cannabis programs.
Cannabis is also sold illegally in Pennsylvania,” the lawmaker continued. “We don’t know what’s in it, how it’s made, or where it’s coming from. We know it’s in the hands of young people. , does not affect all communities equally: Whites and people of color use cannabis roughly equally, according to Pennsylvania Police data compiled by NORML, while Pennsylvania Police data Black people in Pennsylvania are about 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis use than white people.
They stated that their proposal is “structured to govern and regulate the cultivation, processing, transportation, distribution, delivery, and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products with the following core objectives in mind: Create a legal and regulatory framework for: consumer safety; social justice; economic equity; prevention of substance use disorders;
However, the prospects for legalization in Pennsylvania remain unclear.
“Since the end of last year, several lawmakers have submitted memos on legalization proposals that show what the adult market would look like, but there is no consensus on whether or when the legalization bill will pass. is unknown.” Inquirer report.
