A majority of the Virginia legislature voted on April 7, 2021, to approve amendments to Senate Bill 1406 | House Bill 2312, which legalized personal marijuana cultivation on July 1, 2021. The legal provisions allow people aged 21 and over to grow up to four plants per household in their main residence. The law requires that no marijuana plant be visible from a public road without the use of aircraft, binoculars or other optical aids, and that precautions be taken to prevent unauthorized access by anyone under the age of 21. A legible label must be affixed to each plant containing the name, driver`s licence or identification number of the person and a statement that the marijuana plant is grown for personal use. In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state and the 17th state. in the country that legalized cannabis for adults! Adults can now legally possess and share up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to four cannabis plants at their primary residence. You can view our full summary of the law here. Other aspects of the law – such as details on establishing a regulated cannabis market – will not come into force until 2024. Although a bill – SB 391 – was introduced that would have accelerated legal sales by existing medical cannabis operators, the bill was defeated by a House subcommittee by a vote of 5 to 3.
The legislature adjourned its 2022 regular session on March 12. According to an August 2021 Virginia State Police report, 333,806 records were sealed for simple possession. More than 64,651 charges of distribution of offences were sealed and approximately 395,747 files of minor offences, invalid reports or non-mandatory reports were deleted in total. With recreational marijuana use recently legalized, Virginia`s attorney general is looking for candidates interested in becoming the state`s first cannabis advocate. Since passing a 2017 law that allowed patients with refractory epilepsy to use certain types of cannabis oil with medical certification, the legislature has continually improved Virginia`s medical cannabis program. On July 1, 2020, several improvements went into effect, making Virginia the 34th state with an effective medical cannabis program. Patients are now officially protected from arrest and prosecution for possession of their medications – they no longer just have a positive defense. In addition, Virginia patients with any condition can now receive recommendations on how to use and purchase cannabis supplements with no more than 10 milligrams of THC per dose. In 2021, lawmakers passed a law that will improve medical cannabis law by allowing patients to use whole plant “botanical” cannabis (HB 2218/SB 1333). The Legislative Assembly also passed legislation that will protect patients from disciplinary action or dismissal by their employers for using medical cannabis outside of work (HB 1862). Governor Northam signed the bills in March and they will take effect on July 1, 2021.
You can view our full summary of the Medical Cannabis Act here. Applications for patients, parents/guardians and physicians are available from the Pharmacy Board. Cannabis extracts are manufactured and sold in Virginia only by specially licensed companies called “pharmaceutical processors.” The Pharmacy Council has granted permission to five pharmaceutical processors to manufacture and distribute these oils. The first sale of cannabis extracts began on October 14, 2020. This article was originally published on April 7, 2021 and updated on June 24, 2021. Starting July 1, 2021, people 21 and older in Virginia will be allowed to carry up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to four cannabis plants at home, but those hoping to go to a pharmacy to pick up something will have to wait until 2024. In 2021, just one day after the Virginia legalization bill went into effect, the Youngkin campaign tweeted, “Glenn Youngkin will not seek to repeal [the law].” The 2021 Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (“CCA” or “Authority”), which recognizes it as the primary source of government expertise on cannabis and gives it broad powers to develop, issue, and enforce rules regarding cannabis in Virginia. The 2021 Act also empowered the CCA to initiate and legislate on various aspects of public safety and public health of cannabis. On July 1, 2021, “adult sharing of marijuana” or transferring an ounce or less of marijuana between individuals 21 years of age or older became legal without compensation. Home cultivation became legal on July 1, 2021. Adults 21 and older are now allowed to grow up to four marijuana plants per household (not per person) for their personal use.
Plants can only be grown at your primary residence. A majority of the Virginia legislature voted on April 7, 2021, to approve amendments to Senate Bill 1406 | House Bill 2312, which legalizes the personal use and possession of marijuana on July 1, 2021. The provisions of the Act allow people 21 and older to possess up to one ounce in public. Separate provisions of the Act governing the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis will not come into force until January 1, 2024. Webert`s bill also eliminates the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund, a community-run fund outlined in the 2021 law that would direct 30% of all tax profits to communities affected by disproportionate drug laws. Instead, Webert`s bill creates the Public School Assistance Fund, which would direct tax revenue for school repairs. “Virginia legalized marijuana in retail through legislation through the budget, we`re just going to call it `hemp,`” Delegate Dawn Adams, who spoke out against colloquial language, told Virginia NORML. “All tetrahydrocannabinols — not just delta-9-THC, but delta-8-THC and other synthetic compounds — will be legal in Virginia with Governor Youngkin`s pen as long as it`s called `hemp,`” added Dr.
Adams, a nurse with significant expertise in cannabis medicine. “It`s because some activists want to legalize marijuana,” said Del. Chris Head, R-Botetourt. “And they want it legalized now, the consequences are damned.” In a special session in late 2020, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly approved a modest cannabis reform bill — SB 5029 — and Governor Northam signed it. This law prevents law enforcement from using the smell of cannabis as a pretext to search and confiscate property. The law entered into force and came into force on March 1, 2021. Last Thursday, we reported on the historic day Virginia legalized recreational marijuana use. While this affects the daily lives of many Virginians, there is also a new effort behind criminal justice reform. Share your email address to receive regular updates on the Virginia cannabis program as they become available, or send us a message at info@cca.virginia.gov. Distributing more than half an ounce of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop is a crime punishable by a mandatory minimum penalty of 1 year and a maximum penalty of 5 years, as well as a fine of up to $100,000.
However, if such a person proves that he or she sold the controlled substance or marijuana solely as an accommodation to another person and not with the intent to profit from it, he or she is guilty of a Class 1 offence, punishable by imprisonment for up to 12 months and a fine of up to $2,500. However, given that these efforts require updating government computer systems as part of a broader erasure initiative, it is unclear when they will come into effect. Again, retail sales won`t start until 2024, so people interested in weed may need to take an interest in gardening over the next three years. The newsguide contacted Senator Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Rehabilitation and Social Services on Marijuana, and Del. Will Morefield, R-Tazewell, who sits on the subcommittee as a member of the House for comment, Dec. 1-6. We heard nothing. Lawmakers discussed, but were postponed until next year, a ruling that people currently serving prison sentences and drug-related prison sentences can ask a judge for a new conviction. Lawmakers who supported the bill called it an oversight and blamed the last-minute manner for the way the bill was crafted. A few years later, in 2024, the sale of marijuana will be allowed in Virginia. But there is a major political battle over how pharmacy licenses are distributed.
“This is a great day for justice in the Commonwealth,” said Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, then House Majority Leader, after a thorough legislative process that compiled the 300-page bill introduced by Sen. Adam Ebbin and Senate Speaker pro tempore Louise Lucas. Senate Democrats campaigning to legalize marijuana say they are now on track to introduce legislation before the August break, after initially announcing plans to introduce a comprehensive reform bill in late April. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday announced 16 appointments to three newly created agencies overseeing the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth. Is marijuana legalization threatened by a new Republican governor? In response to Gov. elect Glenn Youngkin`s Twitter account, his campaign staff tweeted that he would not be calling for the repeal. Senator Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced the omnibus bill in the Senate, based on the recommendations of the General Assembly`s Cannabis Oversight Commission and Northam. Ebbin`s bill largely follows last year`s nearly 300-page legislation with some changes regarding licensing, criminal penalties, local regulations, diversity, equity and inclusion.
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