Localmedium impact · 5/10substantive190008

Council Asks Philly Voters: Should City Back State Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Sales?

Official:Providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of an amendment to Article VIII, Chapter 5 of The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, entitled “Referenda Approved by the Voters,” by adding a new section providing that the citizens of Philadelphia call upon the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor to pass legislation that will decriminalize, regulate, and tax the use, and sale to adults aged 21 years or older, of cannabis for non-medical purposes.

Sponsor: Councilmember Green

Introduced: January 24, 2019

: Committee on Law and Government

decriminalizationgovernment marijuana

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2016–2019 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill asks Philadelphia voters if they want City Council to ask the Pennsylvania state government to decriminalize and regulate marijuana use for people 21 and older.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

The City of Philadelphia would ask Pennsylvania's General Assembly and Governor to pass legislation that decriminalizes, regulates, and taxes the use and sale of cannabis for non-medical purposes by adults aged 21 and older.
The question of whether to make this request would be put to a vote of Philadelphia's qualified electors at the May 21, 2019 election.
If a majority of voters approve the question, the City Council would be authorized to call upon the General Assembly and Governor to pass such legislation.
The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter would be amended to include a new section providing for this request to be made to the General Assembly and Governor.