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RICHMOND — Three years after Virginia lawmakers voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults, the General Assembly is finally moving ahead with efforts to create a marketplace for the manufacture and sale of recreational cannabis.
There’s a long way to go. And even supporters don’t agree on an approach — or know whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) will go along.
“We already have a $3 billion adult-use cannabis market. It’s just being run by drug dealers who are selling untested, unlabeled, untaxed products,” said Greg Habeeb, a former Republican delegate lobbying on behalf of the Virginia Cannabis Association. “We are not creating the market. We are regulating the market.”
Though Democrats — and some Republicans — have expressed interest in passing some kind of legislation to rein in the marijuana marketplace, Youngkin has sent signals that he’s not on board, though he stopped short of promising a veto.
Asked Friday about the governor’s position, a spokesman referred to comments Youngkin made to reporters earlier this month when asked about marijuana legislation: “This is an area that I really don’t have any interest in,” Youngkin said, citing behavioral health and education as areas he thinks are more ripe for bipartisan agreement. [Read More @ The Washington Post]
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