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Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has been travelling across the state asking for the public's feedback on the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Fetterman plans to visit all 67 counties in the commonwealth during a listening tour that began earlier this year, and on Sunday afternoon, April 14, he made Blair County the 38th stop on his tour, giving local residents an opportunity to voice their support or opposition to make recreational use of marijuana legal.
About 80 people came to the AFCME Chapter 89 building in Duncansville,to participate in the event, and opinions on both sides were represented.
While Fetterman did not offer any opinions on legalization, he listened intently as about two dozen people lined up behind microphones to tell the lieutenant governor their feelings on the subject.
"We are here to talk about adult recreational use of marijuana in Pennsylvania," Fetterman said. "You are going to be sitting beside somebody who is very pro this, you are sitting next to somebody who is opposed to this and some who haven't made up their mind. To me it is important to be in the same room with those we may or may not agree with on every single issue and to hear their side. What I think about it isn't interesting. What is interesting is what you think about it."
Anna Gibboney of Williamsburg spoke out in support of legalization, saying it would help her son Kristopher Dill, who is autistic. She said legalizing marijuana was an exciting step, but that it is too expensive for some people.
"I got excited when I found out medical marijuana was approved for Pennsylvania because I have an autistic son who it is proven it would help him, and his psychiatrist wanted to give it to him, but the screw-ups in the medical marijuana program make it unaffordable to the average family," she said. "Because our medical system is letting us down, I see no reason why we shouldn't legalize it and make it available to the general public."
Gibboney said that had having marijuana not been a criminal offense, her mother, while battling cancer more than 30 years ago, would not have suffered as much.
"I can go back to 1984, I lost my mother to cancer," she said. "She was 39 when she passed away and her doctor told us that there were enough studies that if we wanted to go buy marijuana off the streets it would have got her through the sickness. She may still be here today, but she's not because it was illegal in 1984. That is 35 years that our medical system has sat on it."
Marina Moses of Hollidaysburg said that although she comes from a family with members who struggle with addiction, she supports the decriminalization of marijuana because it bogs down the legal system.
"People should not be in jail for marijuana charges," she said. "I know you can have psychological dependence on marijuana. We don't need people to be bogged down with criminal charges as well. And the people who are not addicts should be allowed to be as recreational as they want to be just like they are with alcohol."
A woman who did not give her name spoke out passionately opposed to legalization, saying it brings up too many questions. She said she lost a child to addiction and sees this as another avenue to create more problems.
"How are you going to police this?" She asked. "How are you going to watch this?"
She said that just because some don't develop an addiction to marijuana that doesn't mean others will be as fortunate.
"There is a lot of truth to what people say that maybe they don't get addicted, but there is no magic potion to find out if your loved one is going to be the one that does have that gene that is going to get addicted," she said. "And it's going to go from pot to something else. Just because some of us in this room can smoke pot and not go on to something stronger doesn't mean that was the case for my child."
Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb, while thanking Fetterman for coming out to the rural counties to talk to people, said he is not in favor of legalization.
"I am troubled by the rush by many to legalize marijuana without considering the costs that I fear will eventually and inevitably follow that action," he said.
Erb said that legalization advocates talk about the huge amounts of new revenue Pennsylvania will realize from taxing the sale of recreational marijuana but that there are significant costs legalization could create.
"As a county commissioner, I see every day the costs of addiction and its effect on Blair County families," he said.
Erb said the three largest line items in the county's budget–Children Youth and Families, the county prison and the county courts–are already underfunded and over-burdoned in part because of the opioid crisis.
"My fear for legalization of marijuana is that it will worsen these problems. Personally, I do believe that marijuana can be a gateway to more serious drug use," he said.
State Rep. Jim Gregory, who has always been open about how addiction has touched his life, said he will oppose legalization.
During his campaign for office he not only shared his story with voters, but also the stories of people he met whose families have been affected by drug addiction.
"I am a no vote for recreational marijuana for the sake of my district and for the sake of my own personal journey," he said.
Gregory lost a brother to an overdose and said legalizing marijuana will undo all the progress that has been made in combatting the opioid crisis.
He said he opposed the expansion of legalized gambling in the state last year due to its addictive nature and said legalizing recreational marijuana will add to the states growing addiction problems.
"How can we seriously say we care about opiate addiction while expanding one addiction last year and legalizing another drug this year" Gregory asked.
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