RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — House Republicans voted to wait until 2023 to take up a bill that would have sped up recreational marijuana sales in Virginia.
The Virginia Senate passed the legislation, which would have allowed recreational sales to start this September, on a bipartisan vote last week. But on Monday, a Virginia House General Laws subcommittee voted 5-3 along party lines to carry over the bill until next year.
“I spent most of the weekend poring through this bill and trying to come to the determination whether now is the right time for this policy in Virginia,” said Del. Jeffrey Campbell (R-Marion). “There are still a lot of unknowns obviously in this. I think this is a bigger issue than we can correct in two weeks’ time.”
Democrats on the panel acknowledged their concerns about the legislation and the road ahead to agree on specific details but urged other members to reject the motion to push back discussion until next year. They argued any pause in the process would only strengthen the unregulated market.
“The longer we wait to have a regulated market, I think the harder it will be to take control or even compete with that illicit market,” said Del. Dawn Adams (D-Richmond). “That’s why I really think that the motion is something that should fail and we should have some opportunity to see if we can get in a better place over time…
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — House Republicans voted to wait until 2023 to take up a bill that would have sped up recreational marijuana sales in Virginia.
The Virginia Senate passed the legislation, which would have allowed recreational sales to start this September, on a bipartisan vote last week. But on Monday, a Virginia House General Laws subcommittee voted 5-3 along party lines to carry over the bill until next year.
“I spent most of the weekend poring through this bill and trying to come to the determination whether now is the right time for this policy in Virginia,” said Del. Jeffrey Campbell (R-Marion). “There are still a lot of unknowns obviously in this. I think this is a bigger issue than we can correct in two weeks’ time.”
Democrats on the panel acknowledged their concerns about the legislation and the road ahead to agree on specific details but urged other members to reject the motion to push back discussion until next year. They argued any pause in the process would only strengthen the unregulated market.
“The longer we wait to have a regulated market, I think the harder it will be to take control or even compete with that illicit market,” said Del. Dawn Adams (D-Richmond). “That’s why I really think that the motion is something that should fail and we should have some opportunity to see if we can get in a better place over time…
