Happy 4/20 Virginia, Governor Youngkin and Republicans Continue to Try and Criminalize Weed

Happy 4/20 Virginia, Governor Youngkin and Republicans Continue to Try and Criminalize Weed

Richmond, VA – This past week, Governor Youngkin broke yet another promise to Virginians and is now attempting to roll back cannabis legalization by reinstating criminal penalties. Governor Youngkin has proposed a penalty for personal possession of more than two ounces of marijuana and limits to the sale of hemp and CBD products. This comes after Virginia Democrats passed historic legislation to legalize marijuana making Virginia the first southern to do so.

This is Republicans’ latest attempt to restrict the legislation on marijuana. Earlier this year, Republicans in the House of Delegates killed legislation establishing a legal cannabis retail market in Virginia. The bill passed in the Virginia Senate on a bipartisan basis earlier this year and would have allowed for safer cannabis use and large tax revenues for the Commonwealth. Under the legislation killed, Virginia would have stood up the legal marketplace by September 2022, cracking down on the illicit market and keeping Virginians safe.

“Virginia Democrats are proud to have led the charge to legalize cannabis in Virginia, making it the first southern state to do so,” said DPVA spokesperson Gianni Snidle. “The Governor and his allies’ actions this session paint a clear picture that Governor Youngkin is only interested in one thing – advancing his own personal politics and agenda, not Virginians’. Democrats will fight tooth and nail against the Governor’s attempts to criminalize weed, he will not reverse our progress.”