Feb 22, 2019 3 min read

When we heard that new Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was coming to Washington County to solicit views about legalization of recreational marijuana, we figured he’d encounter about an even split between those in favor and those opposed. To our surprise, he heard mostly favorable opinions about legalization.

The event at the Center on Strawberry attracted about 200 people, and many were there to tout the benefits of legalizing the recreational use of the drug, under state regulation.

One benefit, of course, is the money that could be brought into state coffers through licensing and taxation of legal marijuana sales. It’s safe to say we’re talking many millions of dollars. And the commonwealth, of course, has many needs that require significant funding sources. Without raising taxes on all Pennsylvanians, the state could use the marijuana industry to fund such things as infrastructure improvements.

Some at Monday night’s listening session raised the potential for marijuana to address health issues, something that’s already covered to a large degree by the state’s recent legalization of medical marijuana.

Others noted that with legalization of recreational marijuana use, those who have a blot on their record because of marijuana charges and convictions could have their records expunged.

Still others noted that people who currently buy marijuana illegally find themselves in contact with dealers who also might be pushing heroin and painkillers, putting them at risk of becoming statistics in the grim opioid epidemic that has hit our area hard. Bringing marijuana sales out of the shadows and regulating them strictly removes the criminal element from that sector of the drug trade, and if people find they can manage pain or other afflictions with marijuana, perhaps they would be less likely to find themselves turning to addictive prescription opiates, whether they be procured legally or illegally. And as some noted at Fetterman’s event in Washington, the marijuana sold by licensed dealers would be safer than illegally procured “grass” because of government testing and regulations.

Not everyone is in favor of opening the door to recreational marijuana sales under state auspices. One man at Monday’s session said he has a 3-year-old granddaughter and doesn’t want her exposed to the drug.

Fact is, marijuana is already in our community and will remain so whether its sale is legal or not. There’s actually less chance that underage people will be able to put their hands on marijuana if the state is doing most of the selling of the drug. Of course, those who want to obtain marijuana, no matter their age, will find a way to do so, just as teenagers have obtained alcohol through the years, despite Pennsylvania’s tight controls on that drug.

Fetterman has conducted a half dozen listening events thus far and plans to hit every county in the state. Thus far, the response seen in Washington County was representative of the reactions in other locales.

“So far, overall, most folks who are getting up and speaking are pro (legalization),” said Fetterman’s regional director for Western Pennsylvania, Julie Strickland-Gilliard.

The trend toward legalization of recreational marijuana is gaining steam across the country, and we believe that when all the pros and cons are calculated, Pennsylvania should join the states that have charted that course.