PA Senator Hoping To Legalize Marijuana

ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY - In November, Washington and Colorado joined the list of 19 states with some form of legalized marijuana.

State Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) is hoping Pennsylvania becomes number 20, comparing marijuana use to alcohol on WESA Radio in Pittsburgh.

"The few differences between alcohol and marijuana are:  A. You can't overdose on marijuana. You can't smoke so much marijuana you kill yourself like you can with alcohol. Marijuana is not physically addictive and studies show that people using marijuana are less likely to become violent or recklessly than people on alcohol," Sen. Leach says.

Senator Leach also points to the economic impact of taxing legalized marijuana and the money it would save from keeping recreational users out of jail.

Ideas people we spoke with agreed with.

"The possibilities are there for a huge tax revenue increase you know," Supporter Eric Markle says.

"It would cut down on crime rate because it's cheap and easy to get," Supporter Rachel Kodora says.

Even though some people agree with the idea of legalizing marijuana Senator John Eichelberger doesn't expect it to get very far.

That debates not going to go anywhere in the senate. I'm not supportive of it." Senator John Eichelberger (R-30th District) says.


And Eichelberger says the health community is behind him.

"I have yet to speak to anyone that works in drug treatment that thinks that that would help in anyway," Eichelberger says.

This debate has been going on for quite some time both in PA and nationally.

Eichelberger says they are currently working on what he called a compromise.

Finding ways to keep recreational marijuana users out of prison ad saving tax payers money.