Governor Josh Shapiro called for full-blown legalization of marijuana for recreational use as part of his budget address, putting the addiction-for-profit marijuana industry above the health and well-being of Pennsylvania families.

This call for the legalization of manufactured marijuana for retail recreational sale in PA goes against our law enforcement agencies, every major health organization, mental health services, and, most importantly, the well-being of Pennsylvanians.

While calls for decriminalization are often conflated with recreational use, today’s policy proposal from Gov. Shapiro is all about allowing an addiction-for-profit industry to proliferate manufactured, high-potency THC products to be marketed and sold in local communities.

A push for “recreational use” (non-medical) in Pennsylvania is likely one that would force your community to set up one or more pot shops that both advertise and sell up to 99% THC in flavored vapes and other colorful products that are marketed to appeal to children. It’s the same playbook from Big Tobacco. 

There is a growing list of groups in Pennsylvania that have expressed opposition to the legalization of marijuana for non-medical use, including:

• PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics: “We can reasonably expect that, with its legalization, the prevalence of marijuana use among both adults and adolescents will increase in our state.” Dr. Sheryl Ryan
• PA Fraternal Order of Police: “Marijuana is a dangerous drug that poses a real threat to public safety and public health.”
• PA Chiefs of Police Association: “Marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania will pose significant challenges for law enforcement as a result of the unanticipated consequences it has on crime and public safety.” Scott Bohn, Executive Director
• Commonwealth Prevention Alliance: “Legalizing and introducing recreational marijuana are counterintuitive to the health and safety of PA communities.” Jeff Hanley, Executive Director
• Caron Treatment Centers: “If we continue towards the path of full legalization, we need to prepare ourselves to deal with the increase in problem usage. Far better would be to prevent the problems in the first place.” Dr. Adam Scioli, Medical Director and Head of Psychiatry
• PA District Attorneys Association: “Our opposition stems from science, research and data, as well as information from our drug addiction specialists.” John Adams, Berks County District Attorney
• PA Manufacturers Association: “Mass-commercialization of recreational marijuana would be a major setback.” David Taylor, President & CEO

Mainstream health organizations are also opposed to the retail sale of marijuana for non-medical use:

• American Academy of Pediatrics “opposes legalization of marijuana because of the potential harms to children and adolescents.”
• American Medical Association “believes that the sale of cannabis for adult use should not be legalized.”
• American Academy of Family Physicians “opposes the recreational use of marijuana.”
• American Society for Addiction Medicine “does not support the legalization of marijuana.”
• Association for Addiction Professionals “does not support the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, largely due to the addictive nature of cannabis.”

Gov. Shapiro’s proposal neglects any of the real costs associated with marijuana legalization for non-medical use. In Colorado, estimates show it costs $4.50 dollars for every dollar brought in by marijuana tax revenue. These costs are seen in areas like health care, traffic, crime, housing, education, workplace safety and homelessness.

Take action and ask Governor Shapiro to stop pushing for recreational marijuana.