The debate over recreational cannabis continues in Pennsylvania, nearly 10 years after it was legalized for medical use.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro highlighted his administration’s support for the legalization of recreational cannabis during his 2026–27 state budget address earlier this year — but plenty of work remains to be done in Harrisburg to move the needle.

State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) has introduced a bill that would create an independent Cannabis Control Board aimed at overhauling regulation of the state’s cannabis industry.

For Laughlin, current efforts “ignore the obvious” — that many of those who want to use cannabis already are, just without a legal framework backing it up. “I think that we should make it safe, legal [and] put it in a controlled environment,” Laughlin said.

S.B. 49 was introduced last June and is up for committee consideration on Monday, March 16.

The bill has received support from industry experts who argue it will allow for better oversight for both medical and recreational cannabis.

“It looks like it has some potential to support both medical and adult use should we get to that phase,” Trulieve Pa. Director of Operations Nicholas Rassler said. “I really appreciate the fact that it’s focused on some regulation, enforcement, and consistency.”

Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition Executive Director Meredith Buettner told FOX43 that a new control board could also help address concerns over the current lack of regulation in Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis industry, especially regarding production and safety standards.

“An independent regulatory body could be constantly reviewing new science that’s coming out [and] new standard operating procedures for cannabis labs,” Buettner said.

Experts like Buettner and Rassler said that Pennsylvania has the benefit of looking to its neighbors who have legalized recreational cannabis — and learning what works best.

“No matter what, we learn things every time something like this changes,” Rassler said. “We take those lessons, we take notes on them, and we figure out how we can improve for next time.”

Of the six states that border Pennsylvania, five of them have legalized recreational cannabis in the last six years.

“We have seen other markets be much more successful when they have an independent regulatory authority to oversee the cannabis programs,” Buettner said.