"For years, the marijuana legalization issue has been maligned as a dreaded “fringe voter” topic, with supporters catching the “Legalize it, maaaaan” stoner trope over policy that, more often than not, flames out in one legislative body or another — especially in puritanical Pennsylvania. But, with two legal marijuana states under the nation’s belt, and cannabis fast becoming a household topic, pot is squarely in the mainstream. And, of course, it’s taken a self-described “policy wonk” to start Pennsylvania on its way to where the rest of the nation has been heading for years. That policy wonk is John Hanger, one of several democratic challengers to Gov. Tom Corbett’s spot in next year’s gubernatorial race. A former Commissioner of the state’s Public Utility Commission and Secretary of PA’s Department of Environmental Protection, Hanger is no starry-eyed stoner looking for a paranoia-free puff sometime in the near future — in fact, he’s quite the opposite. His proposed plan doesn’t call for the full legalization of marijuana until 2017. Sure, Hanger isn’t the first PA politician to bring pot to our legislature —the ever-popular Sen. Daylin Leach has, for several years now, introduced failed full-legalization and medical-legalization measures into the state government. However, Hanger’s campaign on a pot promise does make him the first gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania history to propose a reform of the state’s arcane marijuana laws. And, while Hanger’s embracing of the pot problem has thrust marijuana law reform into the spotlight for state voters on some level, the hope here is that we’ll ultimately serve as a model for states even further behind than us. Unfortunately, while Leach’s plans for legalization are admirable, they don’t seem particularly possible or politically likely compared to Hanger’s tiered plan. In fact, there are some reasons why Hanger’s approach might even be more preferable:" blogs.phillymag/the_philly_post/2013/07/26/pa-weed-wars-john-hanger-daylin-leach-legalization/
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:10:45 +0000
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