Terry Kilgore, the majority leader of the chamber, stated this week that he doesn’t expect the House to vote on its own measures prior to the Tuesday deadline, which allows each chamber to finish work on its legislation. Instead, he stated that the caucus would wait until the Democrat-controlled Senate sends a bill and then “go from there”.
“We want it to be right. He said Wednesday that there is a lot to be done in terms of enforcement and regulation.
When state government was completely under Democratic control, legislators passed legislation which legalized adult possession up to one ounce of marijuana. This also created a pathway for retail sales to start in 2024. The bill was passed quickly and without any GOP support. The bill contains a reenactment provision, so lawmakers will vote again this year to determine the regulatory structure necessary to establish the retail marijuana market.
Both Republicans and Democrats support moving the retail sale date up to stop the growth of the illegal market. However, Virginia has legalized adult possession. The two sides are not in agreement on how to reinvest taxes from marijuana sales, or on social equity provisions to give benefits in the licensing process to marijuana businesses to communities and people who have been affected by the old marijuana laws.
Last year’s legislation called for 30% tax revenue to be directed to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund. This fund would funnel money to predominantly minorities that are disproportionately affected in the war on drugs. Senate Democrats quickly defeated a bill that Tommy Norment, Senate Minority Leader, had proposed. It would have directed the money to the general fund of the state.
Republican Del. sponsored another bill. Michael Webert has included a provision in his bill that would redirect tax revenue to a fund to rebuild crumbling schools around the state.
House Republicans had presented the main marijuana bill as the legislation. It also proposed eliminating a 2021 provision that called for special consideration of cannabis business licenses for social equity applicants. This includes people convicted of marijuana crime or their immediate family members. It would have reduced the overall tax rate for marijuana sales from 21% down to 10%.
However, Webert’s bill and several others drafted in House Republicans have not moved during the first four weeks, which is a sign that the caucus was unable to come to a consensus.
Kilgore acknowledged some concerns from caucus members.
Last week, Speaker Todd Gilbert said to The Associated Press that “the whole space is a bit messy right now.”
Gilbert said, “The mess wasn’t created by us,” and now leads the chamber. He took over the chamber after Republicans retook the chamber and won the November election.
Other Republican committee chairs and bill sponsors did not respond to AP’s requests for comment.
Adam Ebbin, Democratic Senator, was the principal architect of the 2021 law. He is sponsoring two pieces of Senate marijuana legislation. One bill would allow medical marijuana providers to sell recreational marijuana to adults one year earlier than the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline in the 2021 legislation. The second bill, among other things, requires that cannabis retail stores close at 9 p.m., and that they open no earlier than 8 AM. It also requires the Cannabis Control Authority (Cannabis Control Authority) to issue regulations by January 1, 2023 instead of July 1, 20,23.
Ebbin also plans to include a bill from Sens. Louise Lucas, Scott Surovell would allow the resentencement of those currently in prison for marijuana offenses.
Ebbin stated that he had spoken to several House Republicans in the hope of reaching an “equitable arrangement” regarding the establishment of the state’s marijuana retail market.
Ebbin stated that he knew of House members on both sides who want to see the illicit marketplace reduced and possibly eliminated. In that spirit, I believe we can find a way to allow adults aged 21 and older to have access to a taxed, tested and regulated product.
JM Pedini is the executive director of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He stated that, in order for a reenactment law to be successful during the current legislative session it would require “major compromise.”
