2016 PA Senate race: on Drugs


Katie McGinty: Medical marijuana yes; but legalization no

Incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey (R), while serving in the U.S. House, voted against a 2003 floor amendment to protect state medical marijuana laws from federal interference. But last June, he cheered an Obama administration move to remove a roadblock in the way of more medical cannabis research.

Democratic challenger Katie McGinty is a former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who recently signed a medical marijuana bill into law. For her own part, McGinty "supports legalizing medical marijuana and supports decriminalization," a spokesperson said this year. But in 2013, in response to a voter's question, she said, "I am not for legalization of marijuana." In the same appearance, however, McGlinty also said she opposed even medical cannabis, so it's possible that her position on full legalization will similarly evolve.

Source: Marijuana.com on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race Jun 13, 2016

Pat Toomey: Medical marijuana research yes; but state laws no

Incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey (R), while serving in the U.S. House, voted against a 2003 floor amendment to protect state medical marijuana laws from federal interference. But last June, he cheered an Obama administration move to remove a roadblock in the way of more medical cannabis research.

Democratic challenger Katie McGinty is a former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who recently signed a medical marijuana bill into law. For her own part, McGinty "supports legalizing medical marijuana and supports decriminalization," a spokesperson said this year. But in 2013, in response to a voter's question, she said, "I am not for legalization of marijuana." In the same appearance, however, McGlinty also said she opposed even medical cannabis, so it's possible that her position on full legalization will similarly evolve.

Source: Marijuana.com on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race Jun 13, 2016

John Fetterman: Very pro-legalization of marijuana

Pittsburgh NORML, a local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, will be hosting a fundraiser for John Fetterman for United States Senate. Fetterman was recently quoted in the Washington Post explaining his stance on marijuana reform: `I'm also very pro-legalization of marijuana. I also think we as a country need to have a conversation about the legalization of other drugs. I've been mayor of a town that's had a lot of economic upheaval, and I've seen this: the war on drugs is a failure. If you're taking drugs, you're doing it to numb some pain in your life. It's a medical issue.`

Pittsburgh NORML shares Mayor Fetterman's position on cannabis and we believe he is the best candidate on issues of drug reform and criminal justice.

Source: The Daily Chronic on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race Sep 27, 2015

  • The above quotations are from 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Drugs.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
Candidates and political leaders on Drugs:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Jul 19, 2019