Virginia legislature sends bills to Governor Northam to approve dispensing of herbal medical cannabis
Category: LEGISLATION
SB 2765 would only take effect if the Supreme Court strikes down Initiative 65. Seventy-three percent of voters decided in favor of I-65 in November.
“These common-sense regulatory changes are necessary and long overdue. The reality that most high-schoolers have easier access to cannabis than do our nation’s top scientists is the height of absurdity and an indictment of the current system.”
“Legislative action is necessary in this arena because the DEA has proven time and time again that it is not an honest broker in this process.”
Of the 15 states that have now enacted adult-use legalization, 13 have done so by voter initiative. Many states, however, do not offer a citizens’ initiative option — meaning that the only way to enact substantive marijuana reform is through the legislative process.
“My commitment is that if I am leader [of the US Senate], I am going to do everything I can to put the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act on the floor of the Senate. The odds are very high it will pass.”
However, unless the patient is a child, developmentally disabled, terminally ill, receiving hospice care, or housebound, the patient must have had at least one previous in-person visit with the recommending physician.
HB 4982 explicitly permits those convicted of one or more misdemeanor marijuana offenses to file a petition with the court to have their criminal record set aside.