Pennsylvania’s auditor general is praising the lieutenant governor’s plan to tour the state to talk about recreational marijuana.
Last week, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced he will visit each of the state’s 67 counties to ask people their thoughts on legalizing the drug.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has long supported regulating and taxing marijuana. His office published a report last summer citing that nearly $600 million could be generated each year through legalization.
“Regulating and taxing marijuana could generate $581 million in new state revenue each year,” DePasquale said. “These funds could be used for a number of important purposes, such as bolstering education funding, reducing opioid addiction and expanding health care for veterans and children.”
His report also cited that more than 8 percent of Pennsylvania’s adults (21 and older)- or nearly 800,000 people- currently use marijuana at least monthly. The date for the Lt. Governor to visit Butler County has not yet been set.
“The tide of public opinion has turned and it’s time for public policy to catch up,” DePasquale said. “Already, recreational marijuana has been approved in 10 states and Washington, D.C.”