2022 PA Senate race: on Drugs


John Fetterman: Listening tour, report got governor to support legalization

Weeks after taking office, John embarked on a listening tour of all 67 counties, something no sitting Lt. Governor has ever done, to engage with Pennsylvanians about legalizing marijuana. In three months, the historic tour saw over 10,000 people turn out in person and tens of thousands more engage online. Following John's final report and recommendations, the Governor announced his support for legalization for the first time.
Source: 2022 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com Jan 21, 2021

John Fetterman: Legalization means billions in revenue, thousands of jobs

The impact of criminalization on people of color is a disgrace, he says. And if marijuana was fully legalized, the state would have billions in revenue instead of billions in deficits, especially during the pandemic. "It would create tens of thousands of unsubsidized jobs," says Fetterman. "It would be a boon for our farmers in terms of a cash crop. It would be (great) from a personal freedom standpoint. It would be a gateway drug away from opioids and other harder substances, you know."
Source: NEXTPittsburgh.com on 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race Jan 14, 2021

Mehmet Oz: Cannabis safer than alcohol & safer than narcotics

Oz, who previously asserted that marijuana could represent a tool to combat the opioid epidemic and has made other public comments about the plant's therapeutic potential, said "I'm hoping the federal government at some point--someone's going to say, 'come on, this is a farce, open it up for the entire country.' That way, the right people can begin to prescribe it."

"We ought to completely change our policy on marijuana. It absolutely works. Now I've seen this helping people with sleep issues, with pain issues for sure, and a lot of people who have serious medical problems getting relief--and here's the thing, you can't die from it. I'm unaware of any case when anyone has overdosed."

"It's a lot safer than alcohol. It's safer than narcotics. It ought to be used more widely and we can't even study it that easily because of the way it's regulated," he said.

Source: Marijuana Moment blog on 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race Dec 6, 2021

Mehmet Oz: Marijuana not gateway to narcotics, may be the exit drug

Opponents of legalizing marijuana have long claimed that it is a "gateway drug" that leads to use of other substances. But one of the country's most famous physicians says the opposite might be true. "The real story is the hypocrisy around medical marijuana," Mehmet Oz -- better known as Dr. Oz -- said in an appearance on Fox News. "People think it's a gateway drug to narcotics. It may be the exit drug to get us out of the narcotic epidemic."
Source: Forbes magazine on 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race Sep 19, 2017

Sharif Street: Emerging cannabis industry could boost job opportunities

Pennsylvania's emerging cannabis industry could result in significant employment opportunities for residents of the Commonwealth. Recently legalized medical marijuana has already created new cannabis-related jobs. The production and sale of legalized adult-use cannabis has the potential to significantly benefit our commonwealth's economy. According to a report from New Frontier Data, the legal cannabis market will create more than 250,000 jobs by 2020.
Source: 2022 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website StreetForPA.com Jun 27, 2022

Val Arkoosh: Decriminalize marijuana, reform on nonviolent drug offenses

While the First Step Act in the U.S. Senate was a tremendous step forward, Val believes we must take additional steps to continue making progress on sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses, decriminalize marijuana, reinstate voting rights for those who have served their time, and do more to help give returning citizens a second chance.
Source: 2022 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website ValArkoosh.com Dec 19, 2021

  • The above quotations are from 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Drugs.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Pat Toomey on Drugs.
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: Jun 05, 2024