SAM Applauds Senate Committee for Voting Down HB 1200, Cites Major Public Health Risks
(HARRISBURG, PA) – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee rightly rejected HB 1200, a radical proposal that would have made Pennsylvania the first state in the country to establish a government-run recreational marijuana program, in violation of federal law. The bill, backed by Governor Josh Shapiro and advanced by Rep. Dan Frankel, sought to create a state monopoly on the sale of high-potency THC products including marijuana candies, vapes, and concentrates, via a new bureaucracy under the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading voice opposing marijuana commercialization, applauds the committee for rejecting a bill that would have used taxpayer resources to normalize and promote drug use while failing to deliver on promises of equity, safety, or revenue. The bill was considered despite growing evidence that such models fail to curb the illicit market and worsen public health outcomes.
“HB 1200 was a dangerous experiment dressed up as reform,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, CEO and President of SAM and a former White House drug policy advisor. “Handing over the sale of addictive, high-potency drugs to a state agency doesn’t make marijuana safer, it makes the government the dealer. From New York to California, we’ve seen how marijuana harms communities, fuels addiction, and burdens public health systems. This proposal was one of the most radical marijuana legalization plans we’ve seen, and the Pennsylvania Senate committee made the right call by rejecting it.”
The committee’s rejection comes just days after the Pennsylvania House passed a separate commercialization bill. In response, SAM mobilized members of its Parent Action Network (PAN) to Harrisburg to meet with lawmakers and elevate voices too often drowned out by marijuana industry lobbyists.
Monica DiLossi, a Pennsylvania mother and PAN member, was among four parents who spoke directly with senators about the harms her family has experienced due to high-potency marijuana. “We came to Harrisburg to make sure lawmakers heard from parents, not just pot lobbyists,” said DiLossi.
“Governor Shapiro’s plan would have turned the state into a drug dealer, selling flavored vapes and THC gummies in neighborhoods where kids already struggle. We’re grateful the Senate committee listened.”
PAN parents also joined Pennsylvania Family Institute for a press conference urging legislators to protect youth mental health and push back on the false promises of legalization. SAM spent the day meeting with Senate leadership and sharing research on marijuana’s link to mental illness, impaired driving, and the failure of similar models in other states.
SAM’s advocacy in Harrisburg also included an afternoon of meetings with legislative leaders and staff, where advocates highlighted key concerns:
- Mental health risks: Daily users of high-potency marijuana are five times more likely to develop severe mental illness, including psychosis and schizophrenia.
- Youth use: States with legal markets report higher rates of teen marijuana use and cannabis use disorder among adolescents.
- Driving Risk: In some legal states, marijuana-impaired traffic deaths have more than doubled.
- Broken Promises: Legal states collect less than 1% of their budget from marijuana taxes and spend far more dealing with consequences like addiction and crime.
- Illicit Market Thrives: Legalization has not eliminated the black market. California and New York still see 70–80% of marijuana sales coming from illegal sources.
“We don’t have to choose between reform and commercialization,” added Sabet. “We can decriminalize marijuana and expunge records without handing the keys to Big Weed or a state-run cartel.”
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