Pennsylvania lags behind other states

While 54% of Americans live in legal cannabis states, Pennsylvania trails far behind. It is one of only 19 states where adults can be incarcerated simply for possessing cannabis. According to government data, there were more than 10,000 arrests for cannabis possession in 2025 alone.

Meanwhile, five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states have legalized adult-use cannabis — and they are generating economic growth and tax revenue from cannabis sales to Pennsylvanians.

Let your state senator and representative know you want them to get cannabis legalization done. Voters overwhelmingly support legalization and sensible regulation. It’s past time lawmakers listen.

Primary voter guide released

Pennsylvania's state primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 19.

MPP’s voter guide shows where your candidates for the Pennsylvania House and Senate stand on legalizing cannabis for adults. We dug into incumbents' and candidates' records, fired off a direct survey question to every candidate, and gave them a chance to speak for themselves.

Here's what to do:

1. Look up your Pennsylvania state House and Senate district.
2. Open our voter guide and see where your candidates stand.
3. If your candidate ignored our survey, contact them directly — introduce yourself as a voter in their district, tell them cannabis legalization matters to you, and politely ask where they stand.

Cannabis legalization bills stall

On May 7, 2025, in a party-line vote, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 1200) to legalize cannabis for adults from state-run stores by a single vote. Less than one week later, the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee defeated the bill, 7-3. Some members, including Committee Chair Dan Laughlin (R), expressed support for legalization, but opposition to the state-run stores approach.

In July 2025, Sens. Laughlin and Street proposed their own vision for legalization — with private stores, SB 120. Reps. Emily Kinkaid and Abby Major introduced their own bill (HB 20) later in the month. Both bills are bipartisan, and take a more viable path forward to legalization — private stores. But neither chamber has even given their bill a committee hearing.

Meanwhile, the Republican candidate for governor, Stacy Garrity, said as long as there is a Republican majority in the Senate, “They’re never going to pass [legalization].” If elected, she told NBC10 she would veto legalization if it made it to her desk.In contrast, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) included cannabis legalization in his past three budget proposals.Let your PA legislators know it’s past time Pennsylvania modernizes its cannabis laws. Then, check out our LegalizePA campaign website.

Other 2025-2026 Cannabis Bills

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

• 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 758 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.
• SB 49 would move medical cannabis regulation to a new board.

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Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis law

MPP was honored to work hand-in-hand with amazing Pennsylvania advocates, including moms, to pass medical cannabis legislation in 2016. 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.

Stay connected

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