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* Politics * Science & Health * Culture * Business * Video * Newsletter * Subscribe * Remove Ads * Bill Tracking * About * Login Instructions * All 2024 Cannabis Bills * Bill Hearing Calendar * About Marijuana Moment * Support Marijuana Moment * Subscribe To Newsletter Connect with us * * * MARIJUANA MOMENT DEMOCRAT-LED BILL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA SALES IN VIRGINIA COULD GO ‘UP IN SMOKE’ AS NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOP GOVERNOR COLLAPSE * Politics * Democrat-Led Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales In Virginia Could Go ‘Up In Smoke’ As Negotiations With GOP Governor Collapse * GOP Congressman Cheers Passage Of Bill Urging DOJ To Study State Marijuana Laws To Prepare For Federal Legalization * Veterans Groups Push Congress To Take Action On Psychedelic Therapy And Medical Marijuana * Montana Judge Rules That Lawmakers Should Have Chance To Override Governor’s Marijuana Revenue Bill Veto * Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights Under State Law * Science & Health * LSD-Like Drug Wins FDA ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Status For Treatment Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder * CBD Is ‘Safe For Long-Term Use’ In Dogs, National Animal Supplement Council Concludes After Funding ‘Comprehensive’ Study * Marijuana Consumers Walk More And Exercise Just As Much As Non-Users, New Study Challenging Stoner ‘Stereotype’ Finds * Marijuana Legalization Linked To ‘Decline In Beer Sales,’ Indicating Substitution Effect, Canadian Study Finds * Marijuana Consumers Have ‘Significantly Decreased Odds’ Of Cognitive Decline, Study Finds * Culture * Marijuana Rolling Paper Company Seeks Content Creator To ‘Get Paid To Smoke Weed’ For $70,420 Salary * Nevada’s First Marijuana Consumption Lounge Officially Opens, With Top Lawmaker Hitting A Joint At 4:20 * Rapper Killer Mike Suggests Giving Black People Control Over Marijuana Industry As A Form Of Reparations * Brooklyn Nets And New York Liberty Become First NBA And WNBA Teams To Partner With CBD Company * UFC Warns Fighters To Stop Using Marijuana ‘Immediately’ So They Aren’t Punished Under California Athletics Rules * Business * U.S. Company Offers Free Psychedelics Training Services To Ukraine Health Professionals To Treat Trauma From War With Russia * New Mexico Officials Celebrate Marijuana Milestone As Sales Cross $1 Billion Mark Since Recreational Market Launched * Missouri’s Marijuana Market Tallied More Than $1.4 Billion During First Full Year Of Adult-Use Sales * Missouri Marijuana Company Argues That Workers Are Not Allowed To Unionize Due To Federal Law * Multiple States Across The Country See Record-Breaking Marijuana Sales To Close Out 2023 * Video * Democrat-Led Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales In Virginia Could Go ‘Up In Smoke’ As Negotiations With GOP Governor Collapse * Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights Under State Law * Schumer Says Senate Will ‘Work Very Hard’ To Pass Marijuana Banking Bill Before November Election * Connecticut Lawmakers Consider Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill In Joint Committee Hearing * Hawaii House Approves Bill To Automatically Expunge Marijuana Records, Sending It To Senate * Newsletter * Cannabis banking on tap for passage by Nov, Schumer says (Newsletter: March 7, 2024) * Hawaii cannabis legalization passes Senate (Newsletter: March 6, 2024) * Cannabis provisions in bipartisan congressional leaders’ bill (Newsletter: March 5, 2024) * Hawaii cannabis legalization bill advances (Newsletter: March 4, 2024) * Virginia gov’s stance on cannabis sales bill (Newsletter: March 1, 2024) * Subscribe * Remove Ads * Bill Tracking * About * Login Instructions * All 2024 Cannabis Bills * Bill Hearing Calendar * About Marijuana Moment * Support Marijuana Moment * Subscribe To Newsletter POLITICS DEMOCRAT-LED BILL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA SALES IN VIRGINIA COULD GO ‘UP IN SMOKE’ AS NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOP GOVERNOR COLLAPSE Published 49 mins ago on March 7, 2024 By Marijuana Moment “As those great philosophers Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin would say, ‘It’s up in smoke.’” By Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury Hopes that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) might sign a bill legalizing retail sales of marijuana in Virginia faded fast this week as Democrats blocked one of the governor’s top priorities: the plan to bring a professional sports arena to Northern Virginia. Did investors pray on social equity marijuana license winners? Did investors pray on social equity marijuana license winners? A special Senate committee in Arizona is looking into whether "predatory tactics" were used by investors on the winners of the state's social equity marijuana licenses. "Once we got the license, it completely changed ..." FOX 10's Marissa Sarbak has the story. More Videos 0 seconds of 2 minutes, 45 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up NFL Funds Study on CBD for Concussion Prevention 01:06 facebook twitter Email pinterest Linkhttps://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/iWl7gfBw Copied Live 00:00 01:48 02:45 As recently as Wednesday, according to multiple Capitol sources, the cannabis bill was being raised in closed-door budget talks with the governor as one of several Democratic priorities that could conceivably have been part of a package deal with the arena. But the prospects of a grand policy bargain appeared to collapse Thursday as Democrats revealed a budget proposal without Youngkin’s arena plan, prompting the governor to say he was less inclined to look favorably on Democratic priorities. In a news conference on the Capitol steps, Youngkin said the arena deal Senate Democrats rejected involved up to 30,000 jobs and $12 billion in economic impact. “And, bluntly, you want to talk about putting a cannabis shop on every corner?” Youngkin said. “I don’t quite get it.” The governor said several other topics had been part of an “overall discussion” with Democrats. However, he suggested the rejection of an economic development project that could’ve drawn bipartisan support isn’t going to make him more likely to approve bills that passed mostly along party lines. “I think this really sets us meaningfully back,” Youngkin said. Del. Paul Krizek (D-Alexandria), a key sponsor of the marijuana proposal, said hopes for the bill were not high. “As those great philosophers Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin would say, ‘It’s up in smoke,’” Krizek said. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) pointed to Youngkin’s comments on cannabis as evidence that it’s the governor who’s refusing to budge on issues that have popular support. “He just basically flat out said one of our biggest priorities he’s not willing to consider,” Surovell said. “This governor wants to set the terms of every single negotiation as if he’s the sole arbiter of what’s reasonable in a bipartisan environment. That’s just not how it works… If he wants something, he’s got to give us something.” Youngkin can’t veto the marijuana bill immediately, because it technically hasn’t been sent to him yet. After this week’s developments, it may only be a matter of time. Youngkin said again Thursday that he doesn’t have “any interest” in greenlighting a retail marijuana market during his four-year term. He has just under two years remaining, and if Democrats retake the Executive Mansion in 2025, the bill sent to Youngkin this year could potentially be the starting point for future legislative efforts. Proponents of the bill say it’s the most serious effort yet to build a fair retail market that gives big cannabis companies, small entrepreneurs, farmers and communities most impacted by the war on drugs a chance at new business opportunities. Though many Virginia conservatives still balk at anything that could be construed as promoting drug use, the bill going to the governor mostly builds on policy decisions that have already been made to allow medical marijuana, decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot and let weed enthusiasts grow up to four plants at home. All those developments have already added up to a much less punitive approach to cannabis, but the state still has no way for people to legally purchase marijuana without a medical reason. “I think this bill on its merits can stand and can get very broad support once people fully understand what’s in it,” said Greg Habeeb, a former Republican delegate who now lobbies for the Virginia Cannabis Association. “It’s about licensing sellers. It’s about testing products. It’s about taxing sales.” The proposal sets May 1, 2025, as the start date for recreational marijuana sales, but the state would start accepting dispensary applications this September. The new retail market would be overseen by the Cannabis Control Authority, a relatively new agency that currently regulates Virginia’s medical marijuana program and runs a variety of public awareness campaigns on marijuana and its effects. When dealing with cannabis legalization in the past, Democrats and progressive activists have wrestled with how to create a new industry while making amends to Black communities that were disproportionately impacted by criminalization and the war on drugs. The approved bill scrubs mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion, language Youngkin has tried to eliminate elsewhere in state government. It instead focuses on race-neutral “micro business” provisions designed to help “historically economically disadvantaged communities” see financial benefits from marijuana legalization. Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of the nonprofit group Marijuana Justice, said the pending bill is “the best proposal that we’ve had since the legalization conversation started in 2021.” “We are pretty excited about the final product,” said Higgs Wise, whose group has worked to ensure marijuana legalization includes provisions aimed at rectifying past harms. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — To that end, the General Assembly passed separate legislation that would give nearly 800 people incarcerated for marijuana-related felonies an opportunity to have their sentences reduced in light of the state’s move toward legalization. More than 1,200 people on probation or parole for marijuana offenses would also have a chance to reduce the length of their post-release supervision, according to state officials’ analysis of the bill’s impact. Keeping those bills separate could theoretically make it easier for Youngkin to approve the retail sales bill without having to compromise on his tough-on-crime message that calls for stiffer criminal penalties for dealers of harder drugs. Another bill sent to Youngkin would specify that simply possessing or consuming legal marijuana products no longer counts as abuse or neglect for the purposes of child custody and visitation. The Senate version of that bill is sponsored by Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) Youngkin’s chief antagonist on the arena proposal. The House version was sent to the governor on a seven-day timeline, meaning he has until midnight Friday to act on it. This story was first published by Virginia Mercury. > Virginia Marijuana Bills On Governor’s Desk Include Legal Sales, Sentencing > Relief, Employment Protections And Parental Rights Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge. Related Topics:featured Don't Miss GOP Congressman Cheers Passage Of Bill Urging DOJ To Study State Marijuana Laws To Prepare For Federal Legalization Marijuana Moment YOU MAY LIKE GOP Congressman Cheers Passage Of Bill Urging DOJ To Study State Marijuana Laws To Prepare For Federal Legalization LSD-Like Drug Wins FDA ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Status For Treatment Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Veterans Groups Push Congress To Take Action On Psychedelic Therapy And Medical Marijuana Montana Judge Rules That Lawmakers Should Have Chance To Override Governor’s Marijuana Revenue Bill Veto Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights Under State Law Schumer Touts ‘Very Productive’ Marijuana Banking Talks With House, And Top Sponsor Says Bill Has ‘Momentum’ To Pass ‘This Year’ Advertisement MARIJUANA NEWS IN YOUR INBOX Get our daily newsletter. 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