Opinion
Legalizing cannabis could be public transit’s pot of gold
The tax revenue generated by recreational marijuana sales could solve the public transit funding crisis.

Anton Petrus/Getty
I’ve been fighting to legalize adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania for nearly a decade – not because it’s politically fashionable, but because it’s the right thing to do for our economy, our communities and our commonwealth.
We face a moment of reckoning. Our public transit systems, including in Philadelphia, are at risk of catastrophic service cuts. SEPTA faces a $240 million budget shortfall. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania is staring down a budget deficit, with no clear path to close the gap.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We have a proven, bipartisan, revenue-generating solution on the table: legalizing adult-use cannabis and using that revenue to reinvest in transit, jobs and justice.
Hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians rely on SEPTA every day to get to work, school, the doctor and the grocery store. If lawmakers don’t act, we will see service cuts, layoffs, fare hikes and economic pain ripple across the region.
Our neighbors in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties will feel it, too. Fewer trains, fewer buses, less access and more congestion, pollution, and inequality – and that’s just one region. Across Pennsylvania, rural and small-town transit systems are struggling to stay afloat, barely keeping up with demand.
To make matters worse, President Donald Trump has delivered on his “big, ugly bill” of sweeping federal budget cuts that will negatively impact our state coffers. If the commonwealth doesn’t develop new, independent revenue streams now, the damage could be long-lasting and severe.
According to an economic analysis, legalizing adult-use cannabis could generate:
- $2.1 billion in sales in Year 1
- More than $400 million in recurring annual tax revenue
- 30,000 new jobs, $4.2 billion in economic activity, and $2.6 billion added to Pennsylvania’s GDP
That revenue could stabilize SEPTA, fund transportation throughout the state and address budget gaps, all without raising income or sales taxes on working families.
It’s also just common sense. Ninety percent of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states have already legalized cannabis. Every day we delay, we lose tax revenue to New Jersey, New York, and Maryland – not to mention the thriving underground market.
I’ve partnered with Republican state Sen. Dan Laughlin on a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis through a regulated, responsible framework. We use the state’s existing medical marijuana infrastructure to ensure a smooth rollout. We avoid the trap of over-taxation, something a higher wholesale tax risks, because if legal cannabis isn’t affordable, the illicit market wins again.
Our approach is modeled on what works: fair pricing, strong oversight and a focus on equity. It also ensures product safety, robust consumer protections and clear regulatory guardrails.
For decades, outdated cannabis laws disproportionately harmed Black and brown Pennsylvanians. In Philadelphia and beyond, lives and livelihoods were disrupted by low-level, non-violent marijuana arrests.
Our proposed legislation supports small and minority-owned businesses. It invests in communities devastated by the failed war on drugs. If we legalize, we must do so with purpose, equity and vision. Legalization without justice is just commercialization. We’re not here to create profits for the few – we’re here to create opportunity for the many.
Poll after poll shows strong majority support for legalization, including in suburban and swing districts. The people of Pennsylvania are not divided on this issue. They’re waiting on us to act.
This is our chance to lead with urgency, honesty, and vision – to fix broken funding systems without burdening taxpayers, to modernize our laws and repair past harms, to keep the buses running, the trains on track, and our economy growing – all via one bold, bipartisan policy.
Let’s legalize adult-use cannabis – and let’s do it for the future of Pennsylvania.
Sharif Street is a Democratic state senator representing Pennsylvania’s 3rd District in Philadelphia. He is the co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis.
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