As Virginia prepares to legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, it is grappling with questions of how the industry will be set up and who will profit off of it. One Richmond man says he hopes there'll be a place for smaller operations that he compares to the city's craft beer industry.
Landmark legislation that would make Virginia the first state in the South to legalize marijuana is heading toward its first full votes before the House and Senate this week.
And while the proposal has garnered consistent â and in some cases bipartisan â support, significant debate remains on key details of the proposal, including when and how criminal penalties should be rolled back as the state begins working to establish a legal marketplace for the drug.
Lawmakers and advocates said the question became even more important last week as the legislation was amended in both the House and Senate to push the start of retail sales to Jan. 1, 2024, a full year later than the 2023 date proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam.
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If Virginia follows through with Gov. Ralph Northam’s plan to legalize marijuana, it should create a new agency to regulate and oversee the marijuana market, a panel of lawmakers says.