Top State Government Officials Call for Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Wednesday called for the state to legalize recreational marijuana.

The state’s top two elected officials held a joint news conference at the Capitol. Wolf, who earlier said he wanted to see results from other states where marijuana use has been legalized, said Wednesday Pennsylvania should follow suit.

Fetterman, who made an April stop in Clinton County on his statewide marijuana “listening tour,” said a majority of Pennsylvanians now support recreational adult use of cannabis. Tour results were released on Wednesday. There were more than 44,000 statewide responses and 82 percent said they were for legalization, 16 percent opposed and 2 percent undecided. Clinton County results were listed as 85 percent for legalization, 13 percent opposed and 2 percent undecided.

The two state officials said it may take some time to convince lawmakers to pass legalization legislation but in the meantime they urged the General Assembly to change the law to decriminalize non-violent and small marijuana-related offenses; they also advocated expunging past convictions for those found guilty of such offenses.

Eleven states have legalized the use of recreation pot, along with the District of Columbia.

When Fetterman visited Lock Haven University this past spring, the three Clinton County Commissioners were in attendance. Fetterman said at the time that Clinton was the first county on the tour list where all three commissioners participated. County board chairman Pete Smeltz, while noting he supported medicinal marijuana, voiced his opposition to legalization of recreational marijuana, unless it could be proven such a step would be safe for society; Paul Conklin said he was undecided, expressing concerns about problems that legalization might cause society; Jeff Snyder did not offer a personal opinion that night.