Pa. marijuana / budget

Guests: Katie Meyer, Eugene DePasquale, Sam Wood

The Pennsylvania state budget is due on Friday, and, as usual lawmakers are having a difficult time reconciling the way to reduce the roughly $1.5 billion shortfall in this fiscal year, and to continue funding government services. This is a perennial issue, with Republicans and Democrats continuing to quibble about their preferred methods to gain more revenue. So what about legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana? It’s meant more money in the the states where recreational pot is sold. But, there is the societal concern about allowing people to participate in government sanctioned drug use. Today, we’ll talk about the budget negotiations in Harrisburg with NewsWorks’‘ KATIE MEYER. Then, we’ll speak with Pennsylvania Auditor General, EUGENE DePASQUALE who estimates that legalizing marijuana would bring $200 million to state coffers. Lastly, we’ll talk with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s SAM WOOD about how medical marijuana is currently being rolled-out across Pennsylvania, who’s allowed to grow and dispense it, and why the state just legalized industrial hemp.