For decades, Pennsylvanians have loaded up their trunks and suitcases with cheaper booze and less heavily-taxed cigarettes when they wander across the commonwealth’s borders into neighboring states.
Now, with Delaware seemingly poised to legalize recreational marijuana, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene Depasquale is warning that the Commonwealth and Philadelphia, especially, could lose millions of dollars if recreational marijuana is not also legalized here.
In a special report released last week, Depasquale noted that the Philadelphia area attracts millions of tourists each year. He predicts those tourists would spend some of their vacation money on legal, recreational marijuana if it was available in the City of Brotherly Love.
But, Philadelphia’s next door neighbor, the state of Delaware, is expected to legalize recreational marijuana before the end of the year.
“At this point, Pennsylvania is potentially leaving a great deal of tourism money on the table …,” Depasquale’s report says.
While the governor, gubernatorial candidates and the general assembly argue and battle over how to fund the state, Depasquale points to a potential $581 million that could be realized through regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana.
One of the first to voice support for Depasquale’s recent report is Pittsburgh-area Rep. Jake Wheatley Jr., who said he intends to propose legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania.
Along with legalization, Wheatley said his bill would expunge all marijuana-related criminal convictions that would not have been criminal if marijuana is legal.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Sen. Daylin Leach’s most recent recreational marijuana bill has sat before the Law and Justice Committee for more than a year.
Depasquale estimates that about 8.3 percent, or just under 800,000, of Pennsylvania adults would take advantage of legal, recreation marijuana. Comparing that with statistics from Colorado and Washington, states that have legal, recreational weed, Depasquale estimates the commonwealth pot market to be around $1.66 billion annually.
Depasquale’s other points for legalization of recreational pot include:
- Pennsylvania taxpayers spent $46 million to prosecute around 21,000 adults for personal pot possession in 2017;
- States with recreational marijuana had 25 percent fewer opioid deaths than states where marijuana is illegal;
- Along with Delaware, other Pennsylvania neighbors are getting closer to legalizing recreational marijuana;
- Scientific and medical research has “debunked” the “long-held myth” that marijuana is a “gateway” drug;
- And, Pennsylvania is the bottleneck to southeastern states, the majority of which have not legalized medical marijuana.
Credit:Â www.ydr.com