PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania Senate is considering legislation that would establish a board to oversee marijuana regulations, similar to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
The primary sponsor of the bill, Erie-based Republican Dan Laughlin, is the co-prime sponsor of a separate bill to legalize adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania, but he said this bill is not about legalization.
“It’s about cleaning up the system that we already have,” he said, “giving Pennsylvania the structure and expertise to manage what’s already happening within our borders.”
Under Laughlin’s bill, oversight of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program would move out of the Department of Health.
“It was never designed to manage a rapidly growing industry,” he said. “The result has been a program bogged down by slow responses, inconsistent oversight, and a lack of clarity that has frustrated both patients and legitimate businesses.”
The board would also oversee unregulated hemp-derived THC products available at gas stations and vape shops across Pennsylvania, which he calls a regulatory blind spot the state can no longer ignore.
The bill advanced out of the state Senate’s Law and Justice Committee, which Laughlin chairs, on a 10-1 vote. Laughlin acknowledged that the bill needs further conversation as it continues in the legislative process, but he said the committee vote is an important first step.