Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) criticized the decision to not make marijuana legal in Pennsylvania, stating that other states, especially those near Pennsylvania, have already done so.
“Let’s make it legal,” Fetterman stated to Fox News Digital on Friday. “I mean, it’s not complicated. Other states have done that. All the states surrounded by Pennsylvania are … and the stupidity of not legalizing marijuana.”
“And now, it’s just so straightforward,” he continued. “And right now, we’re doing this interview in Washington, D.C. and right now I could leave, go buy marijuana legally and the world isn’t spun off its axis, it’s not anarchy and that’s really the truth about it.”
Fetterman emphasized that marijuana should be “safe, pure, taxed and available,” but not be available to those younger than 21.
“I would rather have it come from a safe pure place and then I’ve been very clear, it should not be any younger than 21 just like alcohol,” he said. “Young brains can be impacted [by] marijuana and we want to maintain that it should be 21. Any adult should be allowed to do that legally without any criminal pullback.”
The Pennsylvania senator said he has “directly” encouraged President Biden to “liberalize” marijuana.
Recreationally, marijuana in small amounts can be used by adults in 24 states, not including D.C., according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Biden on Saturday urged all governors to pardon previous state offenses for “simple possession of marijuana.”
“No one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, and no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said in a statement.
