In Pennsylvania, it is not a matter of if the state will legalize the use and sale of recreational marijuana but how and when the state will inevitably decide to regulate and harness the profitable nature of the growing industry. Despite these realizations (and almost every surrounding state already capitalizing on legalization and profitability), many citizens, like myself, have questioned the seemingly inconclusive progress made in Harrisburg to end the state’s medical-use-only policy and finally legalize it.

While several policies have surfaced over the years at the state government level, emerging from cannabis’ broad public support, lawmakers continue to hesitate. However, this hesitation provides Pennsylvania with ample opportunity to craft a responsible and equitable cannabis policy that won’t ostracize small-scale dispensaries and growers and will avoid becoming overregulatory.

To create a fair cannabis framework, Pennsylvania should look to other states for guidance. Take New Jersey, for instance, which utilizes a model that allows public use of marijuana, promotes social equity by expunging prior marijuana-related infractions and ensures consistent revenue through taxes on sellers and buyers. It also establishes where and how cannabis may be sold through an overarching regulatory commission. Although promising to prioritize licenses to economically disadvantaged areas, New Jersey’s high dispensary licensing costs have conversely inhibited some small-scale entrepreneurs from obtaining them.

While Pennsylvania’s most recent bipartisan attempt to legalize and regulate cannabis replicates some of these points, it likewise neglects key social equity measures. This creates hurdles for small-scale dispensaries in economically disadvantaged areas to compete against large-scale cannabis corporations that can muscle through the big regulations and licensing fees. This imbalance has possibly fueled an outpour of illicit cannabis markets throughout the state, causing subsequent pushback from established medical and recreational cannabis businesses.

While I agree nobody should endorse the spread of illicit cannabis products as alternatives to the state’s own indecisiveness, the overregulatory framework and gentrification from large cannabis corporations, if left unchecked, will continue to overwhelm and stifle small-scale businesses from participating in an already lucrative market. Therefore, legislators should reconsider how they choose to eventually legalize and open marijuana up to the market.