Governor Tom Wolf is defending his position that Pennsylvania should consider whether to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.

The Democratic governor spoke at a news conference in Harrisburg on Thursday. He was asked about criticism of his comment Wednesday that he thinks it’s time for Pennsylvania to take a serious and honest look at recreational marijuana.

“What I said yesterday was basically a result of the change in the environment,” Wolf said. “We can’t just duck our heads in the sand and say things aren’t happening.”

The governor was answering questions from the public on Twitter when he said more and more states are successfully implementing marijuana legalization, and Pennsylvania needs to keep learning from their efforts.

The Republican leader in the state Senate, Majority Leader Jake Corman, called Wolf’s position “reckless and irresponsible.” In a news release, Corman said legalized recreational marijuana sends the wrong message to youth and he would do everything in his power to prevent it.

“I haven’t read the complete release, but I think what he was talking about was his concerns about marijuana, and I think there are people who have that,” Wolf said. “I’m trying to recognize that the state of New York and the state New Jersey have made some decisions and that we can’t ignore that.”