Cannabis Prohibition Spurs Virginia to Legalize Cannabis
The First State in the South to Legalize Cannabis References Its Moonshine Past – LPC
Virginia became the first southern state to legalize cannabis with many citing an end to “cannabis prohibition” as a main driver. The Attorney General of Virginia recently advertised for a new cannabis attorney, who will serve as general counsel to the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority.
“By decriminalizing and now legalizing simple possession we’ve taken the most important and urgent steps to stop the harm caused by cannabis prohibition,” said Attorney General Herring. “Now comes the hard work of building a safe, stable regulatory system.”
In particular, that system has to ensure a “safe, fair, and equitable marketplace”. It also needs to encourage “opportunity among the communities who have been most harmed by the War on Drugs in the past”. Cannabis and racism are long linked together, with non-white populations disproportionately affected by the so-called war on drugs in both countries.
“I’m hiring a dedicated attorney to help guide (Virginia’s) efforts because I am committed to getting this right,” Herring said.
Simple possession and limited home growth became legal in Virginia on July 1, 2021. That’s three years earlier than planned after a rush session pushed the law through. Many of the regulations mimic that of Canada: Virginians can grow a maximum of four pot plants per household inside their homes. They must be out of public view and kept away from anyone under the age of 21. Smoking in public or in a vehicle is prohibited.
“I think providing a safe, legal means for folks to produce while we set up the regulatory framework is important,” said Virginia Senator Jeremy McPike.
The new law also calls for the automatic expungement of past cannabis convictions. This has been one of the hallmarks of recent state cannabis legalization efforts. Illinois and Pennsylvania both added expungement directly into their bills. Cannabis expungement is something that Canada still lags behind in.
Not Everyone Happy with to End Cannabis Prohibition – LPC
However, not everyone is happy with the way cannabis prohibition is ending. Senator Bryce Reeves generally raised concerns with the speed at which the legislature is approving sweeping changes proposed by Northam.
“There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. We are doing this the wrong way by trying to rush another bill with more than 50,000 substantial changes,” Reeves said.
And in a legal paradox, selling cannabis is still illegal. In fact, one lawmaker in the state said he’s totally against the idea of creating a cannabis marketplace.
“I voted for decriminalization and frankly I’m OK with legalization,” said Virginia Senator Chap Petersen. “But this creation of an industry is something I oppose.”
Many if not most US states cite some sort of social justice for cannabis legalization. However, these are usually secondary concerns. The bigger drivers tend to be the will of the people to access safe, legal cannabis.
So it’s interesting that social reform in terms of those adversely affected by cannabis prohibition is so at the forefront in Virginia. The recent federal bill aimed at US cannabis decriminalization cites similar concerns. Perhaps it’s a sign of things to come in jurisdictions around the world.
Read the Full Story on WFLA News Channel 8
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