Pa. candidates embrace marijuana law reform

For some gubernatorial candidates, marijuana usage shouldn’t be treated as the offense it is today.

“I view people who use marijuana in the privacy of their own homes as many people view drinking a bottle of wine,” John Hanger said.

Hanger, a Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidate, visited Pitt on Sunday, Feb. 9, for an event hosted by Pitt’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The group is a national organization concerned with the failing war on drugs and aims to mobilize young people in the political process. Hanger’s Democratic Primary opponents have similarly staked out liberal positions on marijuana usage, reflecting a trend that’s evident not only in Pennsylvania, but the country, as a whole.

During the November 2012 elections, Colorado’s Amendement 64, which made it legal for anyone over the age of 21 to possess marijuana and for businesses to sell it, passed as a referendum. A similar ballot measure in Washington passed, allowing those over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

Last August, the Department of Justice announced it would not seek to challenge the law in federal court, though the drug is still illegal under federal law, and would instead continue to prosecute those who sold marijuana to minors, as well as the cartels that control much of the drug trade. 

In addition to legislative developments in Colorado and Washington, national public opinion polling reveals an America that’s much more receptive to marijuana legalization than it was even a decade ago. According to a poll conducted by Gallup last October, for the first time more Americans favor legalization of marijuana than oppose it, with 58 percent in favor and 39 percent opposing. This stands in stark contrast to polling in 2004 in which 64 percent of Americans opposed legalization of marijuana and 34 percent approved.

College-aged Americans serve as the primary factor behind the shift in public opinion toward the drug. According to the Gallup poll, 67 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 favor legalization.

For Hanger, loosening restrictions on marijuana in Pennsylvania is a matter of practicality. Not only is enforcing laws costly, but it also disproportionately affects minorities, he said. 

Hanger said he believes marijuana laws are enforced in a racially discriminatory manner, citing that five times more African-Americans are arrested for marijuana possession than white people, despite use between the two races being nearly equal. 

These numbers aren’t too far off, according to the American Civil Liberties Union — the statistics show that African-Americans are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested than white people for marijuana possession. 

Hanger added that more than $3 billion is spent each year trying to enforce current marijuana laws, while, if controlled, the drug could be taxed and used to make money for the state. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the war on marijuana is costing the nation more than $3.6 billion each year.

Hanger’s opponents shared his sentiments, though some cautioned a swift move toward legalization and instead emphasized observing what works and what doesn’t in Colorado and Washington.

Democratic candidate Max Myers, a businessman and minister, also said he is in favor of decriminalizing recreational marijuana use and eventually legalizing medical marijuana. 

“It has been proven to help patients where other drugs have failed,” Myers said in an email. 

Before taking any further action, he would like to see the results of the reformed marijuana policies in Colorado and Washington over the next five years before rushing Pennsylvania into reform for the sake of increased revenue from taxes.

Tom Wolf, another Democratic candidate for governor, agrees with Myers’ views.

Jeff Sheridan, press secretary for Tom Wolf, said that Wolf supports legalizing medical marijuana, as well as decriminalization, but like Myers feels that Pennsylvania should not consider legalizing marijuana until the impact of legalization can be determined in Colorado and Washington.

Democratic candidate Rob McCord, currently the Pennsylvania treasurer, shares a position similar to Wolf’s and Myers’.

“The move to make marijuana legal in other states is a relatively new phenomenon. I hope to learn more from their experience,” McCord said in an email.

In Pennsylvania, the significance of the growing acceptance of marijuana differs among groups of people. Although Hanger has never smoked marijuana before, he said he’d be receptive to doing so for practical purposes. 

Though Hanger says he has never actually smoked marijuana, he thinks that 

“I would use marijuana for medicine if my doctors told me that’d be best,” Hanger said.