Republicans should seize the “opportunity to snatch” the issue of marijuana legalization from Democrats, a GOP Pennsylvania lawmaker says.
As the state legislature considers proposals to enact adult-use legalization after multiple sessions where the reform has stalled, Rep. Abby Major (R) said in an op-ed for TribLive that it’s time for conservatives to meaningfully step up to the plate.
“I’m a Republican, always have been. I believe in small government, low taxes, a free market and personal liberty,” she said. “For these reasons, I support the legalization of adult use of cannabis.”
With nearly all surrounding states having already implemented legalization, it’s a “foregone conclusion” that the rest of the country is moving in that direction, Major wrote. “Why should Pennsylvania always be the last to embrace change?”
Legalization represents a key “opportunity”—and one that aligns with conservative values, she said.
“The economic advantages present a compelling case for lawmakers, businesses and citizens. From job creation to tax revenue, the ripple effects of legalization could significantly enhance Pennsylvania’s financial landscape,” the lawmaker said. “I feel strongly that Republicans have the opportunity to snatch a historically Democratic issue and use it to our political and electoral advantage.”
Likeminded GOP legislators across the U.S. have similarly made that case. While Democrats have largely led the charge for reform at the state and federal level, the economic and states’ rights-focused message has been increasingly adopted by conservative politicians, including notably President Donald Trump.
“Beyond the economic arguments for adult-use legalization is the fantasy that prohibition is an effective policy,” Major wrote. “The prohibition of cannabis has cost this state millions of dollars by housing inmates, running courts, probation and the function of other state apparatuses.”
“The fact is, legalization of adult-use cannabis is a small-government approach to cannabis control. It puts production in the hands of private enterprise, not cartels and drug dealers. It also requires that products be tested before being offered to consumers. Legalization is the conservative commonsense approach.”
The lawmaker added, however, that there remains a legitimate question about “how we are going to legalize.”
“We need to first look at what doesn’t work,” she said, adding that she’s not on board with certain proposals such as some lawmakers’ plan to enact legalization through a state-run model where the government would control the marketplace as it currently does for liquor.
OPINION — @AbbyMajor60: I’m a Republican, always have been. I believe in small government, low taxes, a free market and personal liberty. That’s why I support the legalization of adult use of cannabis. Why should Pa. always be the last to embrace change?https://t.co/3JYqUBS1gV
— TribLIVE.com (@TribLIVE) March 27, 2025
“I believe this is not the right approach and is effectively ‘Communist cannabis’—state controlled and centrally planned, stifling businesses and entrepreneurial opportunities in Pennsylvania,” she said. “Also, it is very hypocritical of the government to prosecute citizens for selling cannabis for over 100 years, to then make it legal to sell but only if the government is the dealer.”
“If we are going to do this, we need to do it right—with a robust market that allows individuals to make their own choices with their own money,” Major said. “It’s time to make the smart, conservative choice and bring adult-use cannabis legalization to Pennsylvania. The people want it and the economy needs it.”
Earlier this month, a key Pennsylvania lawmaker who did previously float a state-run marijuana model said he was optimistic that legalization legislation could be approved as early as this summer, calling the policy change “inevitable” as the commonwealth is “bleeding out revenue” to other states.
Rep. Dan Frankel (D), who chairs the House Health Committee, said he feels it’s feasible that the legislature could advance a legalization bill as part of the budget reconciliation process that must wrap up by the end of June.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who again included a legalization proposal as part of his latest budget request, has similarly indicated that the reform could advance on that timeline. But there are still open questions about what, if any, cannabis legislation could garner the necessary consensus for enactment.
Frankel and Rep. Rick Krajewski (D) first announced in December that they planned to file adult-use legalization legislation, emphasizing that there’s a “moral obligation” to repair harms of criminalization while also raising revenue as neighboring state markets mature.
Meanwhile this month, the Pennsylvania House approved a separate bill sponsored by Frankel that’s meant to strengthen safety standards and oversight of the state’s medical marijuana program as lawmakers work to advance adult-use legalization.
While Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program was enacted nearly a decade ago, lawmakers say the new measure, which now heads to the Senate, is necessary to improve testing compliance, product audits and lab inspections, among other aspects of the industry.
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Separately, in a video interview released this month, the governor emphasized that the state is “losing out” to others that have already enacted adult-use legalization, while maintaining a policy that’s enriched the illicit market.
“I think it’s an issue of freedom and liberty. I mean, if folks want to smoke, they should be able to do so in a safe and legal way,” he said. “We should shut down the black market—and, by the way, every state around us is doing it. Pennsylvanians are driving to those other states and paying taxes in those other states.”
Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general recently said he wants to be a “voice for potential public safety risks” of enacting the governor’s proposal—though he said his office would be ready to enforce the new law if lawmakers did vote to pass it.
The state’s agriculture secretary separately told lawmakers that he’s fully confident that his department is in a “really good” position to oversee an adult-use marijuana program if lawmakers act.
Meanwhile, last month, top Pennsylvania police and health officials told lawmakers they are prepared to implement marijuana legalization if the legislature moves forward with the reform—and that they stand ready to work together as the details of legislation to achieve it are crafted.
Separately, amid the growing calls for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, a GOP state senator said prohibition has been a “disaster,” and a regulated sales model for cannabis—similar to how alcohol and tobacco are handled—could serve as an effective alternative.
Voters are ready to see that policy change, according to a poll released last month.
The survey, commissioned by the advocacy group ResponsiblePA, found that nearly 7 in 10 voters in the state support the reform—including a majority of Republicans. And 63 percent want to see the legislature enact the reform this year, rather than delaying it.
A Republican Pennsylvania senator also recently defended the push to legalize and regulate marijuana, calling it “the most conservative stance” on the issue.
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
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