The latest in a series of bills to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania for adult recreational use was introduced Monday in the Assembly.
The bill, H.R. 50, which would amend current law, differs radically from previous efforts to legalize marijuana. Introduced by Rep Jake Wheatley (D., Allegheny), it addresses several issues long fought for by advocates.
This is the first bill to be introduced after Gov. Tom Wolf said in mid-December that it was time for Pennsylvania to seriously consider legalizing recreational use. Such bills, typically sponsored by Democrats, face the uphill task of convincing Republican lawmakers, who have typically been opposed.
On adoption of the law, anyone who had been arrested and convicted of a minor cannabis offense would have those crimes expunged from their record. And any Pennsylvanian over age 21 would be allowed to cultivate up to six plants at home, as long as only three were flowering at any time.