Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is asking lawmakers to put a bill on his desk to decriminalize non violent small use of marijuana and to legalize adult recreational use.

The governor says New Jersey next door will likely legalize adult use of cannabis November 3rd. Wolf says when that happens hundreds of millions of dollars over the long term will go the neighboring state. He and his Lieutenant Governor say the money is desperately needed in Pennsylvania due to the pandemic. He wants money raised to pay for restorative justice programs in communities where people who used marijuana were arrested.

Governor Wolf said, "Expunging records will help thousands of Pennsylvanians who would never have interacted with the criminal justice system and it will help them get back on their feet. It will potentially remove an insurmountable challenge to a future job."

Wolf added, "Legalizing adult use cannabis would also help us direct a portion of the revenue, this is really important in the COVID era, it would allow us to direct a portion of the revenue generated into programs that give priority to repairing harm done to crime victims in communities as a result of marijuana decriminalization, or the fact we made it a criminal offense for so many years and it still is."

Wolf told reporters at a news conference the money is desperately needed for financial reasons and the state's budget shortfall due to the pandemic.

Wolf added, "That revenue can be used by small businesses to help them weather the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 and it will give our economy a needed boost."

The governor for the Commonwealth said, "Decriminalization is only a first step, we must follow it up with legalization of cannabis for adults over 21. To date 11 states in the United States including D.C. have legalized cannabis for adult use. Many more are giving it serious consideration. ... "We have to do everything we can right now to help ourselves to get us out of this pandemic."