Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Press Liquor Regulator About State’s Ability To Run Marijuana Shops During Joint Legalization Hearing
Two Pennsylvania legislative panels held a joint hearing to discuss marijuana legalization on Thursday, with multiple lawmakers asking the state’s top liquor regulator about the prospect of having that agency run cannabis shops.
Members of the House Health Committee and Liquor Control Committee heard testimony from a series of experts who also discussed issues such as impaired driving, workplace drug policies and the need for product testing in a legal market.
Rep. Dan Frankel (D), chair of the Health Committee, has previously raised the possibility of pursuing legalization through a state-run model similar to the one Pennsylvania currently has for alcohol. Several lawmakers took the opportunity to ask Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) Executive Director Rodrigo Diaz about that concept at this latest hearing.
He was asked about the capacity of PLCB being able to manage enhanced ID checks, security, tax collection product approvals and more. Diaz signaled that the board would find a way to address the various concerns, but he stressed that “we don’t advocate—we will do what you tell us.”
“What we’re asking you though is to be cognizant of these issues that you’re raising and address them so that we’re not just making it up,” he said, adding that regulators want “clear guidance as to how you want us to address those kinds of issues.”
Frankel also said at the hearing that the panel has “wrestled with” how to navigate the workplace safety issue and ensuring that any future policies “create an environment where people are safe and not wrongly accused of being impaired.”
Another witness, Ryan Vandrey, who is a professor of behavioral pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University, walked the committee through alternatives to urine- or blood-based drug tests, including cognitive impairment tests. He also took another member’s question about how legalization could mitigate the prevalence of unregulated products in the market.
“That is one of the strongest arguments for broader legalization of regulated cannabis products, because there’s been a proliferation of unregulated cannabinoid products that are essentially the same and, in some cases, even stronger or more impairing than delta-9 THC,” he said.
“I don’t think they entirely go away and they’ll still exist as a market, but the market would be much smaller,” Vandrey said. “Research has showed that that’s happened—that those products are much less available and less likely to be used in states where adult-use cannabis has been legalized.”
Frankel said in closing remarks that the hearing “helped educate us in a very meaningful way, and we are taking this seriously as we develop a piece of legislation to look at adult-use.”
This was the latest in a series of legalization hearings in the Keystone State, though normally they are convened by the House Health Subcommittee on Health Care. About two weeks ago, members of that panel had a conversation centered on social justice and equity considerations for reform.
That took place days after Rep. Amen Brown (D) filed a marijuana legalization bill that he described as “grounded in safety and social equity.”
At a prior meeting last month, members focused on criminal justice implications of prohibition and the potential benefits of reform.
At another hearing in February, members looked at the industry perspective, with multiple stakeholders from cannabis growing, dispensing and testing businesses, as well as clinical registrants, testifying.
At the subcommittee’s previous cannabis meeting in December, members heard testimony and asked questions about various elements of marijuana oversight, including promoting social equity and business opportunities, laboratory testing and public versus private operation of a state-legal cannabis industry.
And during the panel’s first meeting late last year, Frankel said that state-run stores are “certainly an option” he’s considering for Pennsylvania, similar to what New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) recommended for that state last year, though a state commission later shied away from that plan.
Meanwhile, the cannabis proposal the Brown filed in the House this month is an identical companion to a bipartisan Senate cannabis legalization measure that was introduced last year.
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While Pennsylvania lawmakers have put forward legalization bills in the past, it’s not clear what might serve as the vehicle for reform this year.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) once again proposed legalization as part of his budget request in February, seeking to establish a system that would be implemented starting this summer. But while he suggested certain parameters such as having the Department of Agriculture regulate the program, there’s not legislative text yet.
Last month, the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released a report that found the state stands to generate $271 million in annual revenue if marijuana is legalized and taxed according to the governor’s proposal—but it would have been more if the commonwealth hadn’t been lapped by other neighboring states that have already enacted the reform.
Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris (D) said in a recent interview that it’s “high time” to legalize marijuana and lay the groundwork for businesses in the state to export cannabis to other markets if federal law changes—and he sees a “real opportunity” to do so.
However, the committee’s minority chairman, Rep. Seth Grove (R), said he’s doubtful that the Democratic-controlled House will be able to craft and deliver legalization legislation that could advance through the GOP majority Senate.
Pennsylvania lawmakers also recently advanced a pair of bills meant to prevent police from charging medical cannabis patients with impaired driving without proof of intoxication.
A Republican senator in Pennsylvania introduced a bill last week meant to remove state barriers to medical marijuana patients carrying firearms after previewing the legislation and soliciting co-sponsors earlier this year.
In December, the governor signed a bill to allow all licensed medical marijuana grower-processors in the state to serve as retailers and sell their cannabis products directly to patients. Independent dispensaries could also start cultivating their own marijuana.
A poll released in February found that about two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters in the state support enacting marijuana legalization.
Key Congresswoman Says ‘Now Is The Time’ To Pass Marijuana Banking Bill, Despite McConnell’s ‘Concerns’
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania reports record low traffic deaths in 2025
Pennsylvania saw a record low number of traffic deaths in 2025, according to PennDOT.
The department said 1,047 people were killed in traffic crashes last year, which is 80 fewer than last year and the lowest since record keeping began in 1928.
“Even one life lost is one too many, so while this decrease is good news, Pennsylvania remains committed to moving toward zero deaths on our roadways,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “PennDOT will continue to do our part to decrease fatalities through education and outreach, but we will only reach zero when we all work together.”
PennDOT said there were 109,515 total reportable crashes, which was the second lowest on record only to 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic kept drivers off the road. Of those total crashes, 979 were fatal, down from 1,060 last year.
The number of people killed in impaired driver crashes dropped from 342 to 258 last year, which was also the lowest on record. Fatalities in lane departure crashes and fatalities when someone wasn’t wearing a seatbelt declined as well. PennDOT attributes the decrease in deaths to infrastructure improvements and initiatives like enforcement and education campaigns.
Deaths involving a distracted driver were up from 49 to 54, but PennDOT says the long-term trend is decreasing, and a law that went into effect last June makes it illegal to use hand-held devices while driving, even while stopped because of traffic or a red light.
“Please drive safely,” Carroll said. “Put the phone down when you are behind the wheel. Always follow the speed limit and never drive impaired. And buckle up! Your seat belt can save your life in a crash.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania House passes bill to allow PIAA to create separate high school playoff system
PENNSYLVANIA (WJAC) — Pennsylvania lawmakers once again advanced legislation that would allow the PIAA to potentially overhaul the state’s playoff format for high school athletics.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 41 by a 178 to 23 vote, nearly one year after the legislation advanced out of the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee.
The issue of “fairness” in Pennsylvania high school athletics has been a hot topic in recent years as both lawmakers and schools have debated whether or not the PIAA should create separate playoff brackets for public and private districts.
HB 41 was first introduced by Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), who argues that the current competition structure in Pennsylvania high school “jeopardizes athletes’ health and safety.”
Student athletes and their parents recognize that contact sports pose certain physical risks, which schools try to minimize through protective equipment, training, and policies like concussion protocols,” Conklin said. “Unfortunately, our schools can’t protect against a playoff system that needlessly escalates those risks through unfair competitions.
PIAA’s existing playoff system forces athletes from public schools, which are limited to recruiting from within district boundaries, to compete against athletes from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass larger, stronger teams. The result is unfair, lopsided competitions that leave public school students on a dangerously unlevel playing field, subjecting them to added physical risks and even depriving them of scholarship and recruitment opportunities. School sports are supposed to be about building confidence and teaching kids lessons in fair play, but the current system is teaching all the wrong lessons.
My bill would provide a way to end these increasingly dangerous competitions by allowing the PIAA to establish separate playoffs and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools.
House Bill 41 will now advance to the state Senate for a vote.
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Lawmakers note that if fully approved, the legislation would not mandate the PIAA to change the current format but would rather give them the option to do so.
WJAC
Pennsylvania
Make a day trip out of Pennsylvania theme parks on USAT 10BEST lists
Take a virtual ride on ‘Wildcat’s Revenge,’ set to debut at Hersheypark
Hersheypark will have a hybrid roller coaster. A new steel track has been added to the existing wooden framework, the company announced Wednesday.
York Daily Record
Pennsylvania is one of the top places in the country for theme parks and water parks, according to USA TODAY readers, and all the best attractions are just close enough to South Central Pennsylvania for a day trip.
Seventeen of the winners in USA TODAY’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for Theme Parks and Water Parks are in Pennsylvania. There are 18 if you include Great Wolf Lodge, which has a location in the Poconos.
With 24 winners, only Florida tops the Keystone State with top-10 attractions. No other state comes close to the top two.
But how do you measure which is the best? Florida has the most attractions on the list, but Pennsylvania is home to the most No. 1’s (roller coaster, water slide, theme park hotel, theme park restaurant). Florida attractions don’t even top a single category, and both states are missing from two categories.
Here are the Pennsylvania attractions that won USAT’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for Theme Parks and Water Parks. Start planning that day trip — we included each attraction’s travel distance from Chambersburg.
No. 5: Splash Lagoon, located in Erie, is a Polynesia-themed indoor water park that is home to one of the biggest indoor wave pools in the Eastern U.S. It also features nine water slides — in one tube, slides can go as fast as 40 mph — as well as on-site restaurants, bars and shops. Distance from Chambersburg: 277 miles; about 4 hours, 23 minutes
No. 8: Aquatopia Indoor Water Park, located at Camelback Resort, Tannersville (the Poconos), boasts seven pools, 13 slides, an adventure river, a water play structure with gadgets and interactive elements. Thrill-seekers will love Storm Chaser, one of the longest indoor uphill water coasters in North America. The 125,000-square-foot indoor park has a transparent roof, so indoor guests can work on their tan no matter the season. Distance from Chambersburg: 175 miles; about 2 hours, 55 minutes.
Best Lazy River: Runaway River, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom
No. 10: Runaway River at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown is a relatively serene, meandering float. Riders can enjoy fun elements like mushroom rain umbrella fountains, cascading waterfalls and surprising blowholes. The course is made up of a nice balance of peaceful stretches and sections of gentle rapids, so the ride is both relaxing and entertaining. Distance from Chambersburg: 130 miles; about 2 hours
Best Roller Coaster: Phoenix at Knoebels, Phantom’s Revenge at Kennywood, Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer and Water World, Wildcat’s Revenge at Hersheypark
No. 1: The Phoenix at Knoebels, Elysburg, is a classic wooden roller coaster that proves that newer, taller and faster aren’t always better. Phoenix offers panoramic views of the surrounding hills, as well as thrills in the form of a double out-and-back layout and speeds of 45 miles per hour. Distance from Chambersburg: 121 miles; about 2 hours
No. 2: Phantom’s Revenge at Kennywood, West Mifflin, features a 3,365-foot-long track that brings visitors frighteningly close to another of the park’s coasters, Thunderbolt. A hair-raising highlight is the ride’s second drop — a 232-foot thriller at 85 miles per hour. Distance from Chambersburg: 148 miles; about 2 hours, 40 minutes
No. 5: Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer and Water World, Erie, is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Pennsylvania, featuring an exhilarating 120-foot first drop and a top speed of 60 miles per hour. The coaster crosses over Pennsylvania Route 832 via a huge bridge, mimicking the path of the original Ravine Flyer from 1922. This hybrid coaster boasts airtime hills, tunnels and a 90-degree banked turn, delivering a relentless and thrilling ride. Distance from Chambersburg: 282 miles; about 4 and a half hours
No. 10: Wildcat’s Revenge at Hersheypark, Hershey, mixes past and present. Hersheypark added steel to an existing wooden track to come up with an entirely new hybrid ride that opened in 2023. This coaster climbs to the dizzying height of 140 feet, hits 62 miles per hour, and takes riders through four inversions and an 82-degree drop. The coaster also boasts the world’s largest underflip inversion for even more thrills. Distance from Chambersburg: 68 miles; about 1 hour, 15 minutes
Best Theme Park: Knoebels, Kennywood, Hersheypark
No. 2: Knoebels, Elysburg, is a vintage amusement park in Pennsylvania’s coal country. The rare amusement park that’s still free to enter (rides require old-school tickets), Knoebels is home to Phoenix, one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the United States. And it’s a virtual museum of still-operating classic rides like Whipper, Flying Turns and the Haunted Mansion dark ride. Add in some modern thrills and water rides, and you have the perfect mix for a relaxed yet thrilling day in the park. Distance from Chambersburg: 121 miles; about 2 hours
No. 4: Kennywood, West Mifflin, brings history and iconic rides together in one place. Witness over 120 years of innovation in classic favorites that include wooden roller coasters like the side-by-side Racer, the intense Thunderbolt and the circa-1920 Jack Rabbit. Plus, there’s an unmatched collection of dark rides like the Old Mill and the last-of-its-kind Noah’s Ark, as well as modern thrill rides like the Steel Curtain coaster. Distance from Chambersburg: 148 miles; about 2 hours, 40 minutes
No. 10: Hersheypark, Hershey, is the amusement park of every chocolate lover’s dreams. Hersheypark features 121 acres with more than 70 rides (including 15 coasters), a water park and an 11-acre zoo — all accessible via a single admission. Wildcat’s Revenge, the first hybrid coaster manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction in Pennsylvania, boasts four inversions, including the world’s largest underflip. Candymonium — the park’s tallest, fastest and longest hyper coaster — debuted in 2020. Distance from Chambersburg: 68 miles; about 1 hour, 15 minutes
No. 1: The Hotel Hershey in Hershey provides a sweet spot to lay your head, whether you’re in town to take the Hershey’s Chocolate factory tour, check out Hersheypark or you’re just in the mood for a little pampering with a cocoa-infused spa treatment. A member of Historic Hotels of America, the four-star Hotel Hershey is an elegant retreat and offers a wide range of sports and recreation facilities where you can work off all those tasty treats, including a fitness center, golf, tennis, hiking trails and a pool with waterslides. Distance from Chambersburg: 68 miles; about 1 hour, 15 minutes
No. 1: The Alamo at Knoebels, Elysburg, is as friendly to the pocketbook at it is to families. The menu at this eatery, located on the park’s main boulevard, includes everything from hamburgers and hotdogs to heartier options like deep-fried crab cakes, chicken and waffles, and spaghetti and meatballs. Distance from Chambersburg: 121 miles; about 2 hours
Best Water Coaster: Storm Chaser at Aquatopia, Breakers Edge at Hersheypark’s Boardwalk
No. 6: Storm Chaser at Aquatopia Indoor Water Park, Tannersville (in the Poconos), is one of the longest indoor uphill water coasters on the continent. The ride features five steep plummets and loads of twists, turns and blasts. Guests can ride solo, but Aquatopia recommends riding the coaster in pairs for maximum fun. Distance from Chambersburg: 175 miles; about 2 hours, 55 minutes.
No. 8: Breakers Edge Water Coaster at The Boardwalk At Hersheypark, Hershey, is a fast-paced, hydromagnetic water coaster that launches four-person rafts through a series of exhilarating drops, high-speed tunnels and uphill climbs powered by linear induction motors. Riders experience airtime, g-force curves, tunnels, saucers and lots of splashes. Distance from Chambersburg: 68 miles; about 1 hour, 15 minutes
No. 1: VR Waterslide at Kalahari Resorts, Pocono Manor, brings virtual reality to water slides. Choose from a safari adventure, space exploration or a dragon experience, then get ready to slide on down for 40 seconds of thrills that will have you feeling out of this world. Distance from Chambersburg: 175 miles; about 2 hours, 45 minutes
Best Wave Pool: The Shore at Hersheypark’s Boardwalk, Wave Pool at Dorney Park’s Wildwater Kingdom
No. 6: The Shore at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, Hershey, is a 378,000-gallon wave pool that is the perfect place to cool off in the summertime with your entire crew. Lounge in the shallow end, or venture into the waves in the 6-foot deep end — the choice is yours! Distance from Chambersburg: 68 miles; about 1 hour, 15 minutesNo. 10: The Wave Pool at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown, holds over 560,000 gallons of water and is as large as a football field. With depths ranging from 0 to 6 feet, you’ll enjoy waves on a five-minute on, five-minute off cycle so you can enjoy some excitement and then some downtime under the sun. Distance from Chambersburg: 130 miles; about 2 hours
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.
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