This week Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration revealed legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the state.
Northam’s administration is proposing a 21% state tax on the drug and a licensing program meant to ease entry for people harmed by the disparate enforcement of marijuana laws.
The legislation will be formally introduced by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth. Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, and Del. Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, will also sponsor the proposal.
“Equitable marijuana legalization is an important step towards justice in the commonwealth,” Herring said. “For far too long, marijuana laws have targeted Black and brown communities and enough is enough.”
It was recently that two different Virginia state entities had studied the issue at the request of the General Assembly, finding that legalizing marijuana would need to come alongside robust investments in data collection, public health and public education around substance abuse.
Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said he was pleased to see deliberate efforts to make sure individuals harmed by the so-called war on drugs can have “ownership” in the new marketplace. Black residents in Virginia are 3½ times more likely to face arrest.
“If we’re able to pull this off, we’ll be among the first states to make sure that the communities that have been among the most impacted — namely the Black community — will reap significant benefits,” Bagby said.
