Are Republicans in Pa. ready for legal weed this year? Advocates are skeptical.
Legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania continues to face a “very divided” Republican caucus, a major obstacle as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro again calls for the state to take action.
Advocates for legal cannabis saw significant action in 2025, including the passage of a bill out of the state House for the first time. Some continue to hope that the need for more revenue to cover rising state spending and pressure during an election year will force lawmakers to address the issue head-on this year.
But advocates are also unsure of the legislature’s likelihood to act, with predictions ranging from cautious optimism to deep skepticism.
“There will be little action in the legislature itself, but a lot more talk about it on the campaign trail,” predicted Chris Goldstein, an advocate with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
During last week’s budget address, Shapiro said the state was “losing out on billions of dollars in revenue," attributing those losses in part to the legislature’s failure to act on adult-use cannabis. All but one of the commonwealth’s neighboring states have legalized recreational cannabis.
Shapiro has included legalization in each of his previous budget pitches, though his administration has increased its revenue estimates.
This time, his administration predicts the state would rake in more than $729 million in its first year. Most of that sum, about $660 million, would come from one-time licensing fees. Once fully implemented, his administration estimates annual tax revenue of more than $200 million.
Republicans who control the state Senate remain noncommittal. Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said he wants to see the “governor’s words on paper.”
“When the House Democrats passed recreational marijuana last year, and they came up with that crazy plan to have the state stores implemented, we heard nothing from the governor on whether or not he'd even sign the bill,” Pittman told reporters following Shapiro’s budget address.
Last year, the state House voted 102-101 to pass a bill that would permit the sale of cannabis to adults at state-owned stores, similar to the system for selling wine and liquor. All Democrats voted yes, while all Republicans voted no.
Pointing fingers
State Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny), a sponsor of the state store bill, said his caucus is open to other paths to legalization. But he wants to see the state Senate act so lawmakers can “get to the table and negotiate our differing priorities.”
“There may be different ways to skin the cat, so to speak,” Frankel told reporters after Shapiro’s budget address. “But we need to at least see that in the Senate, there is a willingness and a capacity to pass something.”
Shapiro administration officials told reporters they are open to “any and all options” to legalize cannabis, but want to see a legislative proposal first.
It’s unclear if there’s enough support to advance any cannabis bill in either Laughlin’s committee or the chamber at large, where 27 of the 50 members are Republicans. Spotlight PA spoke with rank-and-file members of Laughlin’s committee last year who said they were not supportive of the move.
Some Republican lawmakers are concerned about the public safety and health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis, as well as conflicts with federal law. Last week, Frankel told reporters he didn’t think Laughlin could pass a bill out of his committee at the moment, “let alone get it to the floor with Republican leaders refusing to do that.”
