It's time to catch up, legalize, regulate and tax marijuana
Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland--practically all of our neighbors--have legalized marijuana. We're losing out on an industry that, once fully implemented, would bring in more than 250 million dollars in annual revenue.
It's time to catch up. I ask you to come together and send to my desk a bill that legalizes marijuana. But that bill should ensure the industry is regulated and taxed responsibly.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the PA legislature
, Feb 6, 2024
Has taken on Pharma over opioid epidemic
Josh is fighting our country's opioid epidemic, leading a bipartisan group of Attorneys General to take on major American pharmaceutical manufacturers--and he's gone after
CEOs like the Sackler Family of Purdue Pharma for their role in perpetuating this crisis.
Source: 2021 PA Gubernatorial campaign website JoshShapiro.org
, Oct 15, 2021
Attorney General Josh Shapiro tweeted his support for legalization on one condition. "We must simultaneously expunge the records of those
serving time for non-violent marijuana convictions--and that is non-negotiable," Shapiro wrote.
After research I support legalizing recreational marijuana
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 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.
Stopped the Fox drug ring from pushing their poisons
Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the break-up of a drug ring that sold $1 million in heroin and crack cocaine in Wilkes Barre and Luzerne County over the last year. Fourteen people were charged with drug dealing in a law enforcement
investigation called "Operation Outfoxed."
"The Fox drug ring sold more than $1 million in heroin and crack cocaine in Luzerne County," Shapiro said. "They were selling $3,000 worth of drugs every day for more than a year--pushing their poisons into
Wilkes Barre. The people of Luzerne County are fed up with this epidemic. We hear you, and we're taking action. Today we shut down the Fox drug ring."
Collaborating with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, the Office of Attorney
General obtained court approval for a wiretap on the cohort of drug dealers. The surveillance obtained evidence of drug sales and planned trips to New York City to re-stock their supply of heroin and crack cocaine for sale in Wilkes Barre.