Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro Backs Legalizing Marijuana
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS/AP) — Pennsylvania's top law enforcement officer is joining several other top state Democratic officials in backing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a Friday statement on Twitter that he changed his mind after months of internal research and discussions with law enforcement colleagues.
"Continuing to criminalize adult personal marijuana use is a waste of limited law enforcement resources, it disproportionately impacts our minority communities and it does not make us safer. We must also expunge records of those with non-violent marijuana use convictions," Shapiro said.
Shapiro's announcement comes two days after Gov. Tom Wolf made a similar announcement that he supports it. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, both Democrats, have long supported the idea, too.
However, leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature have pushed back forcefully and said they oppose it.
Only two state legislatures, in Vermont and Illinois, have passed bills to legalize marijuana. Voters in nine other states legalized marijuana through referendum, an avenue that Pennsylvania law doesn't allow.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
