Virginia to Focus on Legal Cannabis in 2021 Legislative Session

Addison Herron-Wheeler: Culture Magazine

Some legislators in Virginia are planning on pushing for support to consider recreational cannabis this year.

The 2021 legislative session in Virginia, which began on January 13, will be conducted remotely as the pandemic continues to be a major concern. The state’s House of Delegates will be meeting entirely remotely, and the Vermont Senate will meet at a conference center instead of at the state capitol building.

To start off this year’s legislative session, there are multiple topics on the table for discussion, including COVID-19 relief and the death penalty repeal. But perhaps the most contentious issue of all is the discussion of recreational cannabis legalization.

During this legislative push, Governor Ralph Northam is once again making it known that he would like to see recreational cannabis legalized. If Virginia legislators make a move, they will be the first Southern state to fully legalize cannabis. Currently, the state only allows medical cannabis, which went into effect on July 1, 2020.

Northam, who has been speaking out in favor of recreational legalization since November 2020, would like to see a legal approach that makes sure youth safety is high priority and also prioritizes the struggle of marginalized people disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs.

The success of this push for legalization will hinge on whether or not there are enough votes in the legislature in favor of legal cannabis for it to pass. However, even Republicans are coming around to cannabis issues in many states, and Virginia has successfully decriminalized cannabis and legalized a medical program.

Despite the fact that the state has already laid the groundwork for full, recreational legalization, it remains to be seen whether Virginia will follow through and successfully legalize cannabis this year.