April 29, 2021 at 3:30pm
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Starting July 1, adults 21 and older in Virginia can legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana.
Ahead of that date, local police departments say they are preparing their officers, while advocates say the bill needs serious retooling to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system and help reverse the harm done to Black and brown communities after decades of unequal enforcement.
“We still have time to fix many of these things,” Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of the racial justice and cannabis advocacy group Marijuana Justice, said. “Between now and then, we have elections. We have to talk to people about how they’re going to take this legalization forward while centering equity. This is not over.”
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
On April 7, 2021, a majority of both houses of the Virginia legislature voted to legalize adult recreational use of cannabis. The approval made Virginia the 16th U.S. state – and the third state this year – to legalize adult recreational use of cannabis. Under the new law, home cultivation and personal possession of cannabis will become legal July 1, 2021, but retail sales will not begin until January 1, 2024.
Virginia Senate Bill 1406/House Bill 2312 legalizes the retail sale of cannabis products to adults over the age of 21 and establishes the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to oversee the cultivation, manufacture, wholesale, and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products. The bill also permits private cultivation of up to four cannabis plants for personal use and enables individuals to petition for suspended or modified sentences for past marijuana convictions or for sealing of past marijuana conviction reco
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
Simple possession of marijuana, up to one ounce, by adults 21 and older, will now be legal in Virginia beginning July 1, 2021.
On April 7, the Democratic controlled Virginia General Assembly approved Governor Ralph Northam’s amendments to Virginia’s legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana. The House of Delegates voted 53-44-2 to accept the governor’s recommendations while the vote in the Senate was a close call. Senators voted 20-20 to approve the governor’s recommendations with Lt. Governor Fairfax (D) casting the tiebreaking vote to support. The legislation now awaits the signature of Governor Northam for official enactment.
Virginia Becomes First State In South To Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
Virginia Becomes First State In South To Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
Virginia’s marijuana industry could eventually be responsible for creating approximately 11,000 to more than 18,000 jobs.
Virginia is now the 16th state to legalize cannabis for adult use and the fourth state to do so by passing a bill through its state legislature versus going to the voters. On Wednesday, Virginia lawmakers approved a bill that will legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis sales for adults 21 and over. It will probably be another two years before the state sees any retail sales.
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
As marijuana legalization continues to sweep through the nation, Virginia is poised to become the first southern state to legalize adult use of marijuana.
On March 31, Governor Ralph Northam (D) announced a series of amendments to Virginia’s legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana, most notably including the legalization of adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis beginning July 1, 2021. On Wednesday, April 7 the Virginia General Assembly will take the final votes on this year’s efforts to legalize marijuana.
The process of legalizing marijuana by a statewide ballot referendum is not available in Virginia thus advocates have waited for the political stars to align. After the conclusion of several studies in 2020 to determine potential paths forward on equitable legalization, Governor Northam announced his support for legalizing adult-use marijuana in Virginia in November of 2020.