WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said he is now in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Pennsylvania, noting that a majority of the state's residents support it.
'I said in the past that I didn't know if Pennsylvania was ready for this. I believe Pennsylvania is ready for this,' Wolf, a second-term Democrat, said in a news conference last week.
Wolf and Lt. Governor John Fetterman held the press conference to announce the final report from the Lt. Governor's state-wide recreational marijuana tour and proposed next steps after receiving feedback from thousands of residents in the state who attended a listening session or submitted input via an online form.
The Governor also called on the General Assembly to seriously debate and consider the legalization of adult-use, recreational marijuana.
Wolf also asked the legislature to get a bill to the governor's desk that decriminalizes non-violent and small cannabis-related offenses, and urged expungement of past convictions of such crimes.
'We now know the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of legalization, and that includes me. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together, especially the criminal justice reforms I am proposing today, which will have an immediately positive influence on thousands of families across Pennsylvania,' Wolf said.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 11 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, while medical marijuana is legal in 22 states, including Pennsylvania. The state's medical marijuana program was signed into law by Governor Wolf on April 17, 2016.
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