House Republicans on Monday killed legislation intended to kick start the legal sale of recreational marijuana in Virginia, arguing that there is not enough time to perfect the complex legislation, while promising to address it next year.
Virginia last year became the first state in the South to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, an effort led by Democrats, who then had sweeping power. Lawmakers in 2021 punted the creation of a new legal market to the current session in an effort that appeared to fail on Monday.
Republicans, who took control of the House this year, had shown reluctance to move decisively on the issue and did not pass a measure of their own. Senate Bill 391 from Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, would have launched sales by medical providers and hemp processors in September; it was the only viable bill on the topic.
Monday’s move means that possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and sharing among adults will remain legal in Virginia, but selling the drug outside of the medical context will still be prohibited.
Ebbin and other Democratic lawmakers argued that delaying the creation of a legal market will encourage the illicit market to grow beyond the point that it can be reined in down the line. [Read More @ The Richmond Times Dispatch]
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