By Ford Turner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
The opening lines in Pennsylvania’s 2026 debate on legalizing recreational marijuana may have come Thursday from President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order to bring about a federal reclassification of pot as a less dangerous drug.
Trump made it clear the order had nothing to do with legalization, but his action nonetheless unleashed a torrent of public comments in Pennsylvania, where medical marijuana use is legal but recreational use is not.
The reactions of two prominent lawmakers — Reps. Dan Frankel and Kathy Rapp — showed the issue remains a polarizing one.
“Thrilled” was how Frankel, a Democrat and majority chair of the House Health Committee, described his feelings on moving marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act to one listed under Schedule III.
It would, Frankel said, give the medical-use industry a boost, but “the need for full legalization and state regulation in Pennsylvania is as urgent as ever.”
Rapp, Republican minority chair of the same committee, cited Trump’s statement that the change did not legalize recreational marijuana “in any way, shape, or form.”
Her personal position, she said, is, “I am not going to ever support legalization of recreational marijuana.”
Their committee was in the thick of the unsuccessful attempt in 2025 to legalize recreational use in Pennsylvania, which is nearly surrounded by states where legalization has already occurred.
On May 5, the House Health Committee approved a bill driven by Democrats in a party-line vote, and the full House approved the bill in another party-line vote two days later.
That was as far as it got. The bill later was rejected by a Republican-controlled Senate committee.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has supported legalization consistently, and part of his logic is that consumers are spending their money on marijuana in neighboring states.
His initial 2025 budget proposal penciled in more than $500 million in anticipated revenue from legalization and — with the state still facing a big structural deficit — it appears advocates will push strongly for legalization in 2026.
On Thursday, Trump said his order on marijuana “in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug. It has nothing to do with it.”
Like prescription painkillers used incorrectly, Trump said, marijuana “can also do irreversible damage” and “wreck lives if it’s abused.”
At the same time, Trump said facts compel the federal government to recognize marijuana can have legitimate medical uses, including as a substitute for opioid painkillers. The changed classification, Trump said, will “make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research.”
Any bill created to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania would likely have to go through the House Health Committee.
“I am sure this will empower the folks who are looking to legalize marijuana in the state,” Rapp said.
Nonetheless, Rapp, of Warren County, said there are multiple convincing arguments against legalization, including data on mental health issues and children who have suffered because of the drug.
Frankel, of Allegheny County, called the Trump announcement a “long-overdue shift” at the federal level that will allow Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana industry to improve its operations.
“Patients, providers and small businesses have been navigating an impossible legal landscape for years,” he said.
Frankel said the need for full legalization, along with state regulation, should be being about “a responsible, tightly regulated system that protects consumers, communities and public health.”
Lawmakers are not expected to return to Harrisburg for voting sessions until early 2026.
