PA House leadership plans legalization vote 

Pennsylvania is one of only 19 states that still imposes jail time for simple possession of cannabis. And all but one of its neighbors — West Virginia — has legalized adult-use sales. Voters overwhelmingly support legalization. But because there’s no ballot initiative process, the only way to turn the will of the people into law is through the legislature. At long last, the Pennsylvania General Assembly appears poised to seriously consider the issue.

In November, House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D) said there’s a “will in the House to move forward” and that the Senate will “likely be having to deal with [the issue] in the very near future.” Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has called for legalization in his 2024 and 2025 budget addresses.

In 2024, the Pennsylvania House Health Committee held a series of informational hearings on legalization. In December, Chairman Dan Frankel (D) and Rick Krajewksi (D) announced plans to introduce a legalization bill with state-run cannabis stores and circulated a co-sponsorship memo for the bill, which has not been introduced. However, due to federal prohibition, a state-run stores approach could prove a costly boondoggle that never gets off the ground.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Sen. Dan Laughlin (R) and Sen. Sharif Street (D) plan to introduce a legalization bill with privately run stores. In February 2025, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R) said, “The governor needs to lead on something. If he wants something [on cannabis legalization] done, he needs to lead on it.”

Ask your lawmakers to pass a workable legalization law.

Other 2025 Cannabis Bills

Several additional bills have been proposed to reform cannabis laws in the Keystone State:

• SB 76  — would allow for medical cannabis home cultivation, which is an important option for patients — many of whom cannot afford to purchase cannabis at dispensaries.
• SB 75 and HB 578 would reduce the penalty for possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish from possible jail time to a summary offense carrying a fine of up to $25. It also imposes a fine of up to $100 for smoking cannabis in public.
• HB 533 would allow medical cannabis for any serious condition, rather than limiting it to an enumerated list.
• HB 878 would stop criminalizing unimpaired medical cannabis patients for having small amounts of THC in their system while driving.

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis law

Less than two years after the governor signed Pennsylvania's medical cannabis law – Act 16— into law, dispensaries began selling medical marijuana to patients and caregivers in February 2018. Since then, there have been several improvements made to the program.

Changes have included allowing patients to purchase more medical cannabis, and removing language that steered chronic pain patients to try more dangerous painkillers first. Check out our full summary of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law here.

You can also learn more on MPP’s medical marijuana page. If you want to learn more about becoming a registered patient, visit the health department's website.

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