“Implementation was followed by an immediate reduction and sustained declining trend in the illegal cannabis market.”
Category: Legalization
“Once again, Governor Youngkin has prioritized his personal politics over public safety, opting to keep control of Virginia’s marijuana market squarely in the hands of unregulated operators.”
Those who support legalizing marijuana are not part of the ideological fringe; we are the majority. It’s time for us to act like it and for lawmakers to treat cannabis consumers with the respect they deserve.
Politicians proclaim that ‘elections have consequences.’ Increasingly, however, when it comes to elections deciding marijuana policies, Republican lawmakers are seeking to ensure that they don’t.
“Every year that we do not enact retail sales in Virginia for adult use marijuana is another year that the Commonwealth is choosing to continue ceding control of the marijuana market to untaxed, illicit operators.”
Changes proposed by SB 56 include raising taxes on the retail sale of cannabis products, imposing new restrictions on home-cultivation, setting an arbitrary cap on the total number of retailers allowed statewide, and providing new penalties for adults who share their cannabis with others.
“An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose marijuana prohibition, and this has been the case for more than a decade. It borders on political malpractice that Congress has yet to take any meaningful action to comport federal cannabis laws with the will of the people.”
Those populations most vulnerable to cannabis-related adverse health events stand to benefit from a regulatory environment that promotes consumer education, product quality control and responsible use.