A bill that would have made recreational marijuana legal in Pennsylvania stalled out in the state senate. 

The Senate Law and Justice Committee voted it down 7 to 3. That vote means the bill will not be taken up by the full state senate and the bill will not be signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro. 

Bill passes the Pennsylvania State House

Last week, the bill that would have allowed Pennsylvanians 21 and older to purchase marijuana legally passed the Pennsylvania House. 

It marked the first time that a recreational weed bill had been approved by either chamber in Pennsylvania. 

The main sponsor of the bill was Democrat Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia, who said it was a “balanced, responsible, and robust framework.” 

Republicans in the House opposed the bill. 

Governor Josh Shapiro proposed legal marijuana in his budget and counted on Pennsylvania getting around $500 million in revenue from legal marijuana. 

The proposal would have allowed direct sales that would be managed by the state-owned liquor store system. However, Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations wouldn’t have become marijuana dispensaries, other retail outlets would have been created for marijuana purchase. 

“Toothpaste is already out of the tube.” Democrats in Pennsylvania want legal sales of marijuana 

According to one of the sponsors of the bills, Democratic Rep. Dan Frankel, it had the potential to bring in $600 million in revenue. 

“The toothpaste is already out of the tube,” he said. Rep. Frankel also cited a state store model, such as Quebec, Canada, where there has been proven success. 

He did caution that the longer Pennsylvania waits to legalize marijuana, illegal or quasi-legal places will continue to pop up, and those places have no public health supervision. 

“You go right next door, you’ll see a sign on the street with a big marijuana leaf saying no medical card needed here. We need to regulate that. That’s a public health hazard,” Rep. Frankel said.

While the bill failed in the Senate, it’s not clear what comes next or if there will be another attempt at passing a legal marijuana bill anytime in the future. 

A long-running tradition returned to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

This is the 14th year for Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s “Be A Fan” torch run.

Now, the Special Olympics Pennsylvania torch is on its journey away from PNC Park through its three-day, 150-mile trip to Penn State University.

Over 350 runners representing nearly 40 law enforcement agencies are Guardians of the Flame on the torch as it’s passed off every two and a half to four miles until it reaches State College for the 2025 Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games. 

The competition officially starts on June 5, but on Tuesday, runners like Pennsylvania State Police’s Tabitha Jacoby are accompanied by local Special Olympics program athletes.

“They’ll say, time and time again, ‘We love you guys, you’re our heroes,’ when really, they’re our heroes,” said Jacoby.

Organizers said this torch run brings the community together like no other event.

“If you have a chance to meet one of the athletes, they’re always smiling, they’re always happy to see you. And the general public can learn a lot from these athletes,” said State Law Enforcement Torch Run Director Matt Porter.

“We have law enforcement; we have people out on the streets supporting our law enforcement. We have athletes running alongside,” said Special Olympics Pennsylvania Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Andrew Fee. Fee added that the games are “highly competitive, good sportsmanship, a lot of fun when you’re not on the field.”

These athletes compete to represent Pennsylvania in the Special Olympics USA Games. 

Athletes like swimmer Gianfranco Schiaretta said he’s ready for this statewide competition, “feeling confident, feeling strong.”  

He said it takes a lot of hard work, and to him, this torch, with the Flame of Hope, represents so much. 

“Desire, devotion, and discipline is the biggest thing,” said Schiaretta.

It’s a symbol of what our athletes with special abilities accomplish every day.