“The sooner consumers have market access to cannabis products, the more quickly we will begin to see disruptions to the unregulated marketplace.”
Tag: retail sales
“Governor Youngkin has just shown Virginians exactly how out of touch he is with the widely-accepted science and policy research on cannabis in the US. The only protection Youngkin’s veto provides is to the illicit market that has ballooned during his time office.”
“These data indicate that the legal, regulated cannabis market is displacing the underground marketplace. Over time, consumers are becoming more comfortable with and more reliant upon licensed retailers – who typically offer greater convenience, product quality, and safety.”
The measures now head to Republican Gov. Youngkin’s desk.
Just ahead of the crossover deadline, both chambers of the Virginia legislature approved measures to legalize and regulate the retail sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older.
“Nearly half of all Americans now reside in a jurisdiction where the adult use of cannabis is legal,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “To date, no state has moved to either curtail or repeal these legalization laws. That’s because these policies are working largely as voters and lawmakers intended and they are clearly preferable to criminal marijuana prohibition.”
Adults may legally possess cannabis on August 1, 2023. State officials at that time will begin the process of reviewing and expunging tens of thousands of marijuana convictions.
Provisions in the bill permit adults to purchase (up to two ounces from state-licensed retailers and/or 8 grams of concentrate and 800 milligrams worth of edible products), home-cultivate (up to eight plants, no more than four of which can be mature), and possess cannabis (up to 2 pounds in private).