Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.
Legislative committees in both chambers of the Virginia legislature on Friday advanced bills to regulate retail sales of marijuana. The Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee voted 8-7 to advance a bill passed by the House of Delegates, while the House Appropriations Committee advanced the Senate version of the legislation by a vote of 16-6.
Before approving House Bill 642 from Democratic Del. Paul Krizek, the Rehabilitation and Social Services committee amended the measure to make it more like the Senate version, according to a report from Marijuana Moment. The Senate Court of Justice Committee subsequently advanced the legislation to the Finance and Appropriations Committee for consideration by a 10-5 vote.
The chair of the Rehabilitation Committee reportedly noted that Krizek and Democratic Sen. Lashrecse Aird, the sponsor of Senate Bill 542, had agreed to the changes made to the legislation.
Both measures would legalize and regulate sales of recreational marijuana to adults aged 21 and over and established a regulated cannabis market. Virginia legalized possession and cultivation of recreational cannabis in 2021, but former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed attempts to regulate adult-use cannabis sales.
Krizek told Virginia Scope that his bill supports communities with new jobs while seeking justice for those affected by the racial inequities of the failed War on Drugs. The legislation also protects consumers and the public with a "fair, safe and inclusive cannabis market."
"That's the first goal -- to really replace the unsafe, untested, and unmonitored products that are currently flooding Virginia," the lawmaker said.
Krizek added that legislators had considered input from the community as they drafted the bills to create a "well-regulated multi-billion-dollar industry."
Aird said that she intends to make Virginia's retail cannabis marketplace diverse and accessible.
"I think that it's important to note that in this legislation, we have tried to be very intentional about ensuring that the market will have room for micro-businesses and impact licenses as well," she said.
The bills still have significant differences, including the scheduled launch date for regulated recreational cannabis sales and tax rates for the marijuana industry. Lawmakers in the House of Delegates and the state Senate must approve identical bills before they can be sent to Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who took office in January.
JM Pedini, development director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and executive director of the group's Virginia chapter, says that lawmakers should ensure consumer protection as they craft cannabis retail sales laws.
"NORML's legislative priorities remain focused on consumer interests: starting legal sales as soon as possible and keeping the tax rate competitive with neighboring states," Pedini writes in an email. "We also are working to ensure cannabis product labels are accurate and easy for consumers to read."
If state lawmakers agree on a bill to regulate cannabis sales, Spanberger is expected to sign it into law.
"Right now is that we live in this gray space where there's some legality to marijuana, there's some illegality," the governor said before taking office. "There's a lot of questions -- a lot of confusion -- and that creates real problems for Virginians who might currently have the legal ability to buy it for medicinal needs, or for those who might try to fall under the personal use."