Call your delegate and senator today and urge them to vote in favor of ending cannabis prohibition.

Virginia’s cannabis legalization bills — HB 2312 and SB 1406 — passed their final committees yesterday. The House and Senate are expected to vote on these bills by tomorrow, which is their deadline for advancing the legislation.

Please call your delegate and senator right now and urge them to vote in favor of legalizing cannabis in Virginia!

If at least one of the bills passes the House or Senate this week, the legislative process will continue next week. Since the bills have been amended and are no longer identical, the legislature would probably set up a bicameral committee to reconcile differences between the two bills and make final decisions before sending the bill to Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk.

We are happy with several changes that have been made so far. In particular, we are pleased that HB 2312 no longer increases penalties for public consumption and possession by those who are underage. We will continue pushing legislators to ensure that the final bill will truly serve the interests of all Virginians, including medical patients and individuals from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.

You can read a summary of HB 2312 here and a summary of SB 1406 here. You can read more details about today’s votes and the legislative process in this article.

If you haven’t already emailed your elected officials, please do so, and please share the link with others!

After you call your delegates and senators, please share this important message with your friends and family.

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The legislative session is scheduled to end on February 11 — urge delegates and senators to end cannabis prohibition before the clock runs out!

Virginia’s cannabis legalization bills — HB 2312 and SB 1406 — have passed two committees each, but there is still much work to be done, and the outcome remains uncertain. Both bills must be considered by a third committee, Finance/Appropriations. Then, at least one of these bills needs to pass the House or Senate by this Friday’s “crossover deadline” to have a chance of passing both chambers before the session concludes on February 11.

Please write your state legislators right now and urge them to vote in favor of legalizing cannabis in Virginia!

MPP has been working to persuade legislators to improve these bills during the committee process. In particular, we are pleased that HB 2312 no longer increases penalties for public consumption and possession by those who are underage. We will continue pushing legislators to ensure that any bill, when finalized, will truly serve the interests of all Virginians, including medical patients and individuals from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.

You can read a summary of HB 2312 here and a summary of SB 1406 here. Both bills remain works in progress, but we are confident that legislators will continue to improve the language as they move forward.

After you write your delegates and senators, please share this important message with your friends and family.

Read more