Posted on 01/20/2021 9:27:53 AM PST by NobleFree
A bill that would legalize recreational adult use of marijuana was presented and discussed in a Virginia General Assembly subcommittee Tuesday morning.
If the bill passes, recreational marijuana could be legal in the commonwealth in two years.
"The prohibition of cannabis in the commonwealth and in our country has failed, and with this bill is a step forward in recognizing that in a responsible way," said state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who sponsors the bill.
The bill would legalize possession and use for anyone 21 and older and allow people to grow up to two mature marijuana plants at home for personal use.
Marijuana edibles could be sold, too, which pulmonologist Dr. Jim Avery says attracts teens and could result in addiction.
“This is the exact same playbook that big tobacco did years ago: Hook 'em when they're young and you get a customer for life," he said.
There's also concern about enforcing laws against driving under the influence of marijuana.
"Arrests are made based solely on the observations of the officer and are very subjective,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said. “This makes DUI enforcement and keeping our roads safe all the more difficult."
Gov. Ralph Northam supports legalization and a 21% tax on marijuana products, which is on the lower end of what other states with legal marijuana use.
The tax revenue would support education and communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition, which Virginia's bipartisan policy audit and review commission found significantly affects Black and Hispanic Virginians more than whites.
“There are five principles embedded in the bill,” Ebbin said. “They include social, racial and economic equity; public health protections for young people; upholding our clean indoor air act; and data collection so that we can make sure that things are happening properly and adjust them if they're not.”
The full General Assembly could vote on legalizing marijuana as early as next month. Then it would head to the governor, who says marijuana is a cash crop that rivals tobacco.
This is not standard Democrat playbook strategy. Legislators are not supposed to actually vote this stuff in. I thought marijuana usage was supposed to be settled as ballot initiatives. That way the lefties would flock to the polls when the Democrats needed an extra last minute push.
That is also why marijuana initiatives are done in small increments. The Democrats do not want to get open recreational usage in place so there is no longer a need for further ballot initiatives.
Addicted to marijuana?
Where the hell did this guy get his degree? Uzbekistan School of Medicine?
You will own nothing and you will be happy.
There is no breath test for weed.
Whatever happened to Mothers Against Drunk Driving?
Wait … what? You mean … you mean this TV isn't really mine? Uhhhhhhhhhh … screw it, man, it's all good, these re-runs of SNL are hilarious when you're, like, totally baked.
If dumbing down failed in the educations system Virginia tries this.
I don't see legal marijuana as being any more conducive to this end than the already-legal drug alcohol. Particularly since the illegality of marijuana hasn't stopped tens of millions of people from getting it anyway.
You can still get them off the road on an erratic-driving collar until they sober up - although a conviction may be tougher with a walk-a-straight-line test.
Bingo. A doped up torpid populace is just what the democrat doctor ordered, a complacent veritable land of the lotus eaters.
Who are they going to sue this time when 90% of their Medicare funding is spend on lung cancer treatment for stoners ?
Stoned serfs are easier to control.
With this logic, they could say,
The prohibition of murder in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
The prohibition of assault in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
The prohibition of rape in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
The prohibition of theft in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
The prohibition of driving drunk in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
The prohibition of hit and runs in the commonwealth and in our country has failed,
90% is hysteria; the sellers, if they've been foolish enough to claim their product is healthy as tobacco sellers did.
No easier to control than drunks.
No they couldn't; 2 in 3 murders get solved, whereas the fraction of drug "crimes" that even come to the attention of the authorities is doubtless several orders of magnitude samller.
Why not?
Ask a local DA how hard and expensive it is to get a conviction for driving while stoned.
In my neck of the woods pothead drivers are killing more people than drunks.
The difficulty in getting convictions is a big reason for that I’d bet.
Deterrence is a joke.
Link?
Check the papers for Upstate NY.
I can’t recall the last time I saw a fatality caused by a drunk.
Legal in my state since January 1st and my neighbor keeps smoking while he works from home. Nothing I can do about it, anymore than he can stop me lighting up my cigars.
A little closer - but still not a link.
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