The rise of the East Coast cannabis market gained another foothold in late March 2021 when New York became the most recent state to legalize adult use cannabis, joining ranks with other Atlantic stalwarts, including New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Cash-strapped governments around the country have found a silver lining in the pandemic-caused loss of tax revenue. Legalized marijuana has provided millions to state and local governments - in some cases, millions more than anticipated.

The ability to raise tax dollars has been a selling point for marijuana legalization from the beginning. Long before the state legislature approved adult-use sales, Illinois politicians hoped marijuana could help the state pay off some of its massive debt. Other states, such as Colorado, have used sales tax dollars to fund schools and public improvement projects and programs.

In a bold move that many did not see coming from the South, Virginia just officially passed legal, recreational cannabis. 

Weeks after lawmakers in the Commonwealth passed a bill clearing the way for recreational marijuana legalization, Virginia. Gov. Ralph Northam took steps to enshrine employment protections for medical cannabis patients. 

Northam late last week signed a bill into law that “prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, or discriminating against an employee for such employee’s lawful use of cannabis oil pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner for the treatment or to eliminate the symptoms of the employee’s diagnosed condition or disease.”

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said Friday she supports moving marijuana legalization to the summer and is working with lawmakers and the governor on a possible solution.

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia lawmakers are working with Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to amend the marijuana legalization bill passed in February in an effort to allow simple possession in July instead of 2024.

Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) tweeted Friday that she is working with her colleagues in the General Assembly and Northam to move up the timeline to July, a change advocacy groups have pushed for and believe was needed to address racial equity issues with decriminalization.

Republican U.S. Congressman Bob Good has written a letter to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam urging him to veto a recreational marijuana legalization bill passed by state lawmakers last month. The Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates agreed on a compromise bill to legalize cannabis for use by adults and to regulate marijuana production and sales on February 27.

The cannabis community is certainly pleased to see that the state of Virginia has legalized adult-use cannabis, but it will be some time before sales can begin. Still, despite support for the legislation it looked to be a nail-biter to the end. The Virginia House and Senate lawmakers were in agreement on passing the law, but they differed on just exactly what it would look like.

The Virginia legislature has passed bills to modify the state’s medical marijuana program to allow for the production and sale of herbal forms of cannabis. The measures, House Bill 2218 and Senate Bill 1333, were approved this week with overwhelming majorities in both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate.

On February 5th, state lawmakers voted to legalize cannabis in Virginia and establish a recreational market. Both chambers’ initiative would legalize possession of an ounce of marijuana or less, and begin the process of expunging certain cannabis-related misdemeanors on July 1st. Retail sales are predicted to start in 2024, per the plans of both the House and Senate.  

Virginia already has a medical marijuana program, but it’s limited compared to most states. Even so, the medical program is expected to be valued at $50 million in sales by 2024, and the adult-use market is poised to grow even bigger. 

Here’s what you need to know about the newly introduced adult-use legislation in Virginia: