A GOP-controlled committee is killing Virginia Bill to start selling Rec cannabis this year

By Jelena Martinovic

It appears Virginians won’t be able to buy cannabis legally just yet, as a House subcommittee has rejected legislation that would allow recreational marijuana sales, which were due to begin this September.

In early February, the Senate passed a 451-page bill that would allow current medical cannabis and hemp companies to enter the adult-use market.

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Under Senator Adam Ebbin’s (D-Alexandria) bill, the three companies that currently control Virginia’s medical marijuana market (MMJ) and up to 10 registered industrial hemp processors would be allowed to sell recreational cannabis while other retailers do would wait almost 15 months until January 2024.

Because a GOP-controlled committee opposed it, that law was nullified by a party-line vote, Marijuana Moment reported.

“I think this is a bigger problem than we can fix in two weeks,” Del said. Jay Leftwich, R-Chesapeake.

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While the General Assembly voted last year to allow people to possess and grow cannabis, lawmakers have been unable to reach an agreement to date.

Democrats, whose original goal was to start sales in 2024 but later decided that waiting that long is not an option, are now urging their GOP peers to reconsider.

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“The longer we wait for a regulated market, the harder it is to compete with this illicit market,” Del said. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond.

Republicans vowed to revisit the issue sometime next year, with the earliest retail sales beginning in mid-to-late 2023.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.