Lt. gov. holds forum on legalizing marijuana
PERKIOMEN >> Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman made a stop in Montgomery County Tuesday to listen to resident opinions on the legalization of recreational marijuana.
The town hall event at Perkiomen Valley High School was the 19th stop of a statewide listening tour to gather input from Pennsylvanians about the possibility of legalizing recreational use of marijuana.
Fetterman was joined by several other state and county elected officials, including state Rep. Steven Malagari, state Rep. Joe Webster, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, Sen. Katie Muth and Sen. Maria Collett. Also in attendance were Montgomery County Commissioners Valerie Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence.
And the event was met with plenty of interested attendees as well.
Over 200 people, ranging in age from high school students to senior citizens, showed up to discuss the topic. Comments covered a variety of viewpoints — from how marijuana helps those with posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety to its reputation as a gateway drug.
Speakers were given 90 seconds to speak about their opinions on the topic. Lines to step up to the podium at times reached out the door of the auditorium.
“I think without cannabis I wouldn’t be here to speak to you,” said one attendee who identified himself only as Ron. “I went to war when I was 20 years old, came back expecting to know what I was supposed to do but I had no idea. They just started piling on pharmaceuticals and time after time I thought about taking my life and watched my friends take their lives. I was miserable and finally someone told me about cannabis.”
Also among those in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana was Dean Beer, Montgomery County’s chief public defender.
“The criminalization of marijuana disproportionately affects poor people and people of color every day,” said Beer. “So many times we’ll have people charged with possession of marijuana and it ends up getting changed to disorderly conduct. So they say, ‘We’ll give you a break, we’re only going to charge you $300.’ By those lines they only get $600 for social security. So they wind up paying 50 percent of their monthly income for a fine of possession of marijuana. I don’t believe it’s fair.”
There were some in attendance, however, who opposed making recreational marijuana legal, citing personal family experiences with the drug or noting concerns about its effects on teens.
“I’m a ninth-grader at this high school and as a ninth grader, I’m extremely concerned about the youth of this country,” said one of the speakers. “Just a few months ago I was debating a piece of legislation about marijuana legalization. I came upon an article that stated that while users of recreational marijuana may affect some parts of their brain, it can also affect their offspring as well and impair your brain health. My major concern is how are we going to ensure the health and safety of the future of America by expanding the availability of marijuana to the public?”
Of the more than 50 individuals who had a chance to speak Tuesday evening, more than 40 expressed support for the legalization of recreational marijuana while six opposed it.
To date, Fetterman has held 18 recreational marijuana listening tours in 17 Pennsylvania counties with another 50-plus stops planned through June.
“The response to the lieutenant governor’s listening tours has been tremendous, with people across the state making their voices heard,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a press release issued Tuesday afternoon. “This is exactly the type of discussion I had hoped John would get — for, against, not sure. Everyone’s opinion is important and valued. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to attend an event or respond online. I appreciate your time and input, which are invaluable as we study this issue.”
In addition to the thousands of people who have attended a listening tour session, more than 21,000 have responded to the online feedback form, offering their opinions on the topic, according to the governor’s office.
The governor’s correspondence office, which tracks the online form, noted that no other topic has received this level of response or interaction since the governor took office in 2015.
“I want to thank the people of Pennsylvania for coming and participating in this important conversation we are having in the commonwealth,” Fetterman said. “The stops have been cordial, engaging, and thoughtful. I look forward to continuing this tour and hearing from everyone.”
“I’m pleased that Pennsylvanians are taking the time to let us know their thoughts on the topic of legalizing adult-use marijuana,” Wolf said. “It’s my hope that this level of interaction becomes the norm on issues important to Pennsylvanians. It’s how we can best develop policy and programs — by listening to our everyone’s perspectives.”
Marijuana for medical use was legalized in Pennsylvania two years ago. Proponents of legalizing the drug for recreational use say it would be a new source of revenue for state government.