Kelsey Leone can answer, without missing a beat, why she thinks Pennsylvania should legalize recreational marijuana.
“There’s so much potential,” she said.
After hearing news of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $48.3 billion budget address this month, in which he pushed for legalizing recreational marijuana, Leone said staff members at the Beyond Hello medical marijuana dispensary in Pottsville have been abuzz.
Shapiro proposed legalization as a new tax revenue stream, similar to neighboring states like Ohio, New Jersey and New York. It’s a concept many in the industry have been pushing for, Leone said.
As the general manager of Beyond Hello, Leone said the success the store sees can easily translate into the state’s economy.
“Here, I get told often, ‘Are you ready to double your staff?’ ” Leone said. “So jobs are going to be available. Money is going to be made.”
On a busy day, Leone said the dispensary on North Centre Street sees 500 to 600 patients, but recreational business could double that. In a year, she said, the store generates around $10 million.
“It’s going to eliminate people having to travel,” Leone said. “So many people are like, ‘Oh, I go to Jersey,’ or go to New York. We want them to be here in Pennsylvania and doing that for us.”
It also adds a layer of control, she said.
“It’s gonna be, you know, safer than people buying on the streets,” Leone said. “You know what you’re getting, the testing is there.”
Julie Winter, AYR Wellness general manager for Pennsylvania, which includes the DocHouse medical marijuana facility in Norwegian Township, also commended Shapiro for prioritizing recreational legalization.
“His mindset is indicative of the country’s evolving attitude towards legalization,” Winter said in a statement. “We’re hopeful that his plan will come to fruition to not only help stimulate Pennsylvania’s economy, but to expand access to cannabis for adult citizens of the Keystone State while maintaining strong medical patient access.”
DocHouse has been the subject of odor complaints in the township. In July, county Judge Christopher W. Hobbs found the facility, in operation since 2018, guilty of violating a municipal ordinance regulating noxious odors.
The company announced in November that a project to replace the existing air-conditioning system would begin soon and “permanently address” odors near the facility.
Law enforcement
Local law enforcement officials, however, said there are concerns.
Minersville police Chief Michael Combs said statistics show an increase in impaired driving rates among states with legalized recreational use of marijuana.
Combs said he understands the benefit of tax revenue but wonders about the effects of long-term users and the general public’s safety.
“Anytime anyone uses anything that affects their judgment, their faculties, (it) creates a risk for other people,” Combs said. “If you want to go smoke your brains out, that’s one thing, but now the problem is when that could impact someone else’s life.”
Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael A. O’Pake called potential DUI cases his primary concern around legalizing recreational marijuana. He said that he thinks cases will be significant and problematic.
“Quite frankly, otherwise, it’s probably something that is going to happen, if not immediately, it’s going to be in the near future,” O’Pake said. “The district attorney’s office — not only mine, but statewide — are going to have to react to it. It’s going to be inevitable.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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