Virginia lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana in 2024 - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Virginia Legislature passed legislation legalizing marijuana, making it the 16th state – and first southern state – to legalize the drug for recreational use.
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A flowering marijuana plant at the gLeaf facility. (Photo: Alex Scribner/VPM News)
Virginia cannabis connoisseurs will have to wait nearly three years before the drug is fully legalized under a plan approved by the General Assembly on Saturday. And while the Jan. 1, 2024 start date is firm under the current legislation, lawmakers will have to re-approve large parts of the regulations guiding legalization when they meet next year.
The bill now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam, who has made legalization a priority in his final year in office.
The agreement passed over the objections of a coalition of criminal justice advocates ranging from the ACLU of Virginia to the advocacy group Marijuana Justice. Many had pushed for the state to remove all fines and penalties for possessing the drug beginning July 1 of this year. Seven Democratic lawmakers in the House of Delegates appeared to agree, sitting out the vote.
Virginia lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana in 2024 kdhnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kdhnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.