Virginia legislature approves marijuana legalization bills on key mid-session deadline
A bicameral conference committee will be empaneled to resolve the differences between the two chambers’ bills and merge them into a single proposal
Friday, February 5, 2021
The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate approved bills to legalize marijuana, meeting a key mid-session deadline and getting the major policy change one step closer to being enacted. The bills have been heard and amended by numerous committees and subcommittees since Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and top lawmakers unveiled their legalization proposal last month. The House approved the final version of its bill in a 55-42 vote, with two abstentions. Hours later, the Senate passed its proposal 23-15. The bill “is a forward-thinking, deliberative approach to create a regulated adult use market for cannabis, which will reform our criminal justice system and begin the long process of undoing the harms of prohibition,” Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) said on the floor, adding that prohibition on cannabis has clearly failed.
