Pennsylvania's governor race is a straight vote on legal weed
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants adult-use legalization in every budget. GOP nominee Stacy Garrity says she'd veto it. Pennsylvania still doesn't have it.
The May 19 primaries set up the clearest cannabis contrast on the 2026 map: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
Shapiro has put a state-run adult-use program, overseen by the Department of Agriculture, into every budget he's proposed since 2023. His latest plan pairs a 26% tax with expungement of small, nonviolent possession records, and his administration projects about $729 million in first-year taxes and licensing fees. Garrity opposes legalization, says she'd veto any bill that reaches her desk, and called Shapiro's tax pitch a "desperate" move to plug a budget hole.
Legalization keeps stalling in the GOP-controlled state Senate. A bipartisan bill from Sens. Sharif Street (D) and Dan Laughlin (R) hasn't moved, and the $50.8 billion budget Shapiro signed in July left cannabis out again.
Why it matters: Five of Pennsylvania's six neighbors have already legalized adult use. If Garrity wins, her veto pen likely keeps Pennsylvania out of that club for at least four more years.
