What to look for on Smart Talk, June 4, 2019:

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman recently concluded a listening tour that made 70 stops across 67 counties to hear the opinions of Pennsylvanians on legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. 

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in 10 states and decriminalized in 15 more, but federal law still makes possession illegal across the country.  Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2016, but recreational use remains unlawful across the Commonwealth.

The 2019 Pennsylvania Health Poll found that 51 percent of Pennsylvanians favor the complete legalization of marijuana, the first time in the history of that poll.

Lieutenant Governor Fetterman joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to discuss his takeaways from the tour.

Also, Pennsylvania recently joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of states working to implement policies to uphold the United States’ commitments to reduce emissions that were part of the Paris Climate Accords. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement soon after taking office. 

As part of this effort, Pennsylvania has adopted a Climate Action Plan, and, in January, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order to set Pennsylvania’s first statewide climate goals, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050, compared with 2005 levels. 

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the Commonwealth’s approach to climate policy is Patrick McDonnell, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.