A new report suggests having accessible weed can add to your property value.

If you’ve been shopping around for a new home recently, you’ve probably noticed that real estate prices have increased. This is true, particularly in weed-friendly states. But with 91% of American adults who support cannabis legalization, it will only continue to spread throughout the country and there is no doubt it will have an impact on real estate prices.

As of July 1, marijuana became legal in the Commonwealth of Virginia. But confusion about the law remains. So, before you go out and celebrate the move by Gov. Ralph Northam, which upon his signature April 7, made Virginia the first Southern state to legalize marijuana, do your homework. And remember, the new law only applies to adults in Virginia, 21 years and older.

As of July 1, Virginia is the first Southern state, 17th overall, to be painted green with the legalization of recreational marijuana – shaving three years off lawmakers original plans to permit it.

Since the move came three years sooner than lawmakers originally planned, there are still many wrinkles to iron out in the legislation -- but it’s something that has been hovering in the halls of Virginia’s capitol building for decades.

Believe it or not, the road the legalizing marijuana for medical use in the Commonwealth started in 1979, according to an article posted by The Baltimore Sun from The San Francisco Chronicle.

Legal Cannabis Laws Are Now In Effect In These 3 States

It’s been an eventful time for cannabis legislation in 2021. This has been made apparent with the fight for new laws legalizing cannabis. Particularly for states where recreational or medical use goes into effect in three new states on Thursday. In states like Connecticut and Virginia, legislators have passed laws enacting recreational marijuana.

When the clock struck midnight to mark the start of Thursday, history was made—marijuana legalization had finally arrived in the southern United States.

As of July 1, adults 21 years and older in the Commonwealth of Virginia can legally use and possess marijuana. The new law stems from legislation that passed in the Virginia legislature back in April and was promptly signed by the state’s Democratic governor, Ralph Northam.

The law makes Virginia the first southern state to end the prohibition on recreational pot use.

On July 1st, recreational cannabis will become legal in the state of Virginia. But what will that actually mean?

That’s the question cannabis-enthusiasts in the state have been asking ever since Virginia legislators legalized the possession  of up to an ounce of marijuana for adult recreational use this February. Originally, retail sales were set to begin in 2024, but outcry ensued over the three-year wait before ending pot possession penalties, so in April they voted to move up legalization to this July 1.

Adding to the confusion: lawmakers included a “reenactment clause,” which means the General Assembly will have to vote again next year on major portions of the law, mainly to establish a regulatory framework for the legal marijuana marketplace.

Starting on July 1, Virginia residents will have the ability to possess small amounts of cannabis and use it in their homes. But that doesn’t mean those already in jail on similar charges will get a quick release.

The complicated process of expunging past criminal records and releasing current inmates incarcerated on marijuana possession charges could take as long as a year or more. That’s a disappointment to those who spearheaded the Virginia legalization effort.