Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is in the midst of touring the commonwealth to hear what residents think about the possibility legalizing recreational marijuana, and next week the Centre County community will have an opportunity to offer input.
Fetterman’s office announced that he will hold a listening session from 7:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in Alumni Hall of Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center. All stops on the listening tour are free and open to the public.
The tour began in February, and Fetterman said he plans to visit all 67 counties. Fetterman has been in favor of marijuana legalization, however, he has said the purpose of the tour is not to promote his position, but to learn how residents feel about the issue.
“We want to make sure all Pennsylvanians have a say,” he said in announcing the tour.
Ten states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, which is still considered a schedule 1 controlled substance at the federal level. Gov. Tom Wolf had said during his first term in office that he did not think Pennsylvania was ready for legalization, but in December said it was time ‘to take a serious and honest look’
Wolf said in February that he supports Fetterman’s initiative to gain feedback about the issue directly from citizens.
“More and more states are successfully implementing marijuana legalization, especially those surrounding Pennsylvania, and we should learn from their efforts, and better understand the potential fiscal impacts of this reality before taking any collective action,” Wolf said. ‘John’s efforts will help ensure we are looking at this issue from all perspectives and from every corner of Pennsylvania.’
Wolf signed into law in 2016 legislation, passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, legalizing medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.
That same year, State College joined several other communities around the commonwealth in passing an ordinance that allows police to issue a non-traffic summary citation for possession of a small amount of marijuana, instead of charging it as a misdemeanor crime.
Fetterman has now visited about half of the counties in Pennsylvania and reports from the sessions have generally shown the majority of those attending to be in favor of legalization, though opposition has been voiced as well.
GOP leadership in the state House and Senate have said they are not in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, and some opponents have said they are suspicious of the apparent widespread support at the sessions. Jefferson County Republican state Rep. Cris Dush last week accused Fetterman’s office of providing advanced notice of session dates to those who would be inclined to support it, according to PennLive.
Fetterman denied that and said the only people invited to attend are elected officials from the county he’s visiting, including commissioners and state representatives and senators.
‘It is wholly regrettable that [Dush] has chosen to lie about the essence of our listening tour,’ Fetterman wrote on Facebook. ‘I personally called and invited Mr. Dush and every State Representative and Senator. Mr. Dush joined us at this townhall in Dubois and I afforded him 5 minutes to express his strong anti-legalization views as well as the police chief of Dubois. Every listening tour stop is recorded and videos will be publicly available. We have been committed to 100% transparency… As we approach the halfway point of this 67 county tour, civility, inclusion and respect of all viewpoints has always been achieved.’
Those who can’t attend a tour stop but who want to express their views can submit an online feedback form. More than 21,000 people had submitted online feedback as of mid-March.
“The response to the lieutenant governor’s listening tours has been tremendous, with people across the state making their voices heard,” Wolf said in March. “This is exactly the type of discussion I had hoped John would get – for, against, not sure. Everyone’s opinion is important and valued… 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.’
Fetterman also will be at Penn State this week. He will be joined by state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township for a ‘Bipartisan Forum on the Cost of College Education,’ at 7 p.m. Thursday in 101 Thomas Building.
