“We are moving forward in a way that promotes equity, provides a clean slate to those with prior convictions, and reinvests in the communities harmed by over-criminalization”
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill that legalises the simple possession of marijuana, making the state the first in the U.S. south to allow the drug’s recreational use, the governor said, report Reuters.*
In a bid to tackle racial disparities in the prosecution of marijuana-related crimes, the state accelerated to July 1 its timetable to pass the legislation, rather than waiting until 2024.*
“Seventy-one days from now, Virginia will no longer police adults possessing small amounts of marijuana,” Northam said at Wednesday’s ceremonial signing of the bill.*
Northam cited a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission that showed Black residents were more than three times as likely to be arrested for possessing small amounts of the drug.*
“We are moving forward in a way that promotes equity, provides a clean slate to those with prior convictions, and reinvests in the communities harmed by over-criminalization,” he said on Twitter.*
The legislation, signed a day after the informal April 20 pot holiday, also known as 4/20, allows anyone aged 21 or more to possess up to one ounce (28.4 grams) of marijuana.*
People in the state can cultivate up to four cannabis plants per home for personal use.*
NORML, a pro-marijuana group, celebrated the decision as an “extraordinary victory for cannabis justice” in the state.*
The timeline for the state to adopt provisions licensing commercial cannabis production and sales is July 1, 2024.*
On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that lets banks provide services to cannabis companies in states where it is legal, a step towards levelling what analysts call a barrier to the development of a national industry.*
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