BREAKING: Gov. Youngkin Has a Moral Duty to Veto Marijuana Bill, or Virginia Families Will Suffer

Virginia Democrats are using their new General Assembly majority to push dangerous cannabis legalization in the commonwealth. Only Gov. Glenn Youngkin stands between them and our children’s well-being.

Democratic lawmakers are intent on further flooding Virginia with recreational marijuana, as two bills (SB 448 and HB 698) that would greenlight the state-regulated sale of the Schedule 1 drug, move through the legislature.

The new law, if passed, would build on HB 2312 signed by former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in 2021. The law allowed for simple possession, up to one ounce, and at-home cultivation of up to four plants.

The law did not allow any form of sale, manufacturer, or trafficking. Under the new law, Virginia will become a marijuana manufacturer.

In Jan. 2024, the Senate’s cannabis subcommittee pushed forward SB 448, which was introduced by Virginia state Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D) to will allow the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to issue retail licenses by July 1 and begin sales by Jan. 1, 2025. In February, the House General Laws Committee passed an amended version of SB 448 that filled gaps between SB 448 and HB 698.

“After these bills passed their respective bodies. Sen. Rouse and I went to work immediately with stakeholders to harmonize them,” State Rep. Del. Paul Krizek (D) who sponsored HB 698 told the House General Laws Committee.

The bill would subject those who are chosen as licensees to a 9 percent retail tax (4.5 percent local and 4.5 percent state), and allow 350 retail cannabis stores and 100 cannabis processing facilities to operate statewide. That’s a dramatic increase from zero.

Gov. Youngkin has suggested he will likely veto the bill, and he absolutely must in order to protect Virginians.

Dramatically expanding pot use in the commonwealth ought to concern parents, business owners, and anyone concerned with public health and safety. This ain’t your grandfather’s marijuana.

Protecting Virginians Mental Health

Democrat lawmakers are supporting a massive influx of cannabis that will be sold on every corner, but they are completely ignoring the science that suggests marijuana is crippling to society.

Growing fields of study suggest that marijuana can trigger psychosis in those who smoke from an early age and those who have preexisting, often unknown, mental health issues. The Child Mind Institute reports that marijuana is connected to disorders that involve psychosis.

“The mantra should be, ‘Virginia is for lovers, not more drugs.’ Politicians often say ‘follow the science’ or ‘trust the experts’ but when it comes to drug policy, they’re often quick to pass anti-science bills based on the word of an addiction-for-profit industry that has a record of preying on those who are most vulnerable in our society – the young, the low income, minorities and those suffering from substance abuse disorders,” Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), told Restoration News.

The earlier a child starts to smoke; the more likely these conditions are to occur. And stopping marijuana use cannot reverse the effects, according to the Child Mind Institute.

(RELATED: Stacey Abrams Aims to Decriminalize Marijuana in Georgia. Are Republicans About to Help Her?)

As studies continue to look at the psychosis associated with adolescent marijuana use, it is important to realize that adolescents are continuing to view marijuana in a more positive way. Alongside a reduced stigma amongst children, recreational marijuana is also often marketed as candy and baked goods – making it even more enticing for a young audience.

Nearly all of the states with the highest rates are run by Democrats. We can’t let them have Virginia.

“Thankfully, brave medical professionals and public policy experts have spoken out about the risks associated with this proposal. Virginia’s political leaders would be better served following the volumes of data from the medical community and the government that shows marijuana commercialization will lead to a litany of public health, mental health and public safety consequences, and reject this misguided pot push,” Niforatos continued.

Crime and Public Nuisance

When retail marijuana is introduced in a state, crime and disorder skyrocket.

Colorado is often cited as the pinnacle of weed legalization, as it is known for its saturated marijuana markets. Now they are a mirror that helps show why states need to think twice about promoting the widespread use of a Schedule 1 drug.

“Medical and recreational marijuana legalization is destroying the health and social fabric of Colorado. Suicide, overdoses, ER visits, hospitalizations, and domestic and street violence due to cannabis are soaring while cannabis tax revenues are an anemic 0.98% of the 2021 state budget,” according to Volume 8 of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program’s study titled The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact.

Since 2012, when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana and fired up retail stores, traffic deaths, where the driver tests positive for marijuana, increased by 138 percent while all traffic deaths increased by 29 percent.

The study also showed that “past month” usage (ages 12 and older) increased by 26 percent and is 62 percent higher than the national average. Adult marijuana use (ages 18 and older) increased by 20 percent and is 62 percent higher than the national average.

Exposure to marijuana increased by 185 percent from 2013 to 2020 and suicides where marijuana was detected in toxicology results increased from 14 percent to 29 percent. Black market activity in the state also continues to increase, as parcel seizures reported to the El Paso Intelligence Center increased by 48 percent since 2009.

Similar red flags show up in Maryland. In July, Maryland Democrats passed a law that prevented law enforcement officers from searching vehicles that smell like weed.

Sensible lawmakers now fear crime will skyrocket due to intoxicated drivers. If we look at Colorado statistics this is no surprise, as traffic deaths increased by 138 percent. We can’t have Virginians dying over a Democrat-sponsored form of tax revenue.

“Big Marijuana is a predatory industry that’s built its business model on hooking a new generation of users with high-potency THC drugs and marijuana that can have THC concentrations upwards of 99%. Like the alcohol and tobacco industries before it, pot-profiteers are preying on members of low-income and minority communities, those with substance use disorders, and young people to maximize corporate profits,” Niforatos continued.

If you need more confirmation that crime will sweep Virginia under this new law, take a look at law enforcement leaders who are battling retail marijuana.

Law enforcement representatives from the Virginia Sheriffs Association, Virginia State Police Association, and Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and Foundation are fighting against the initiative, as they worry the legislation will irreparably damage public health advancements that Virginia has worked on for years.

The law enforcement representatives point to studies that show “cannabis is more addictive than alcohol,” as 30 percent of cannabis users have cannabis use disorder, compared to 11 percent of alcohol users, according to a collaborative letter sent to the General Assembly.

Many states such as Colorado, California, and Oregon have found themselves drowning under waves of marijuana after opening the doors to recreational retail sales. In fact, nearly 66 percent of all local jurisdictions in Colorado have banned medical and recreational marijuana businesses.

It might be wise for Virginia to do the same.

Back on the Black Market

Pro-legalization activists claim that regulating and taxing cannabis will help abolish the black market for illegal drugs. Yet that’s not been the experience in every state that legalized marijuana—like Oregon, Colorado, California.

In each of them, legalization has done little to nothing to reduce black market drug sales and in fact, unregulated marijuana is often more affordable than the legal stuff, incentivizing users to ignore licensed dispensaries altogether.

In 2023, California marijuana dispensaries reported that they were losing significant business to black market retailers who easily undercut their prices. “It happens all the time. They pop up on the same street, it definitely happens,” Lis Cadens, a Los Angeles supplier told the Daily Caller News Foundation about unlicensed dispensaries.

Colorado is in the same situation. Since 2009, black market confiscations have increased by 49 percent. Suggesting that retail marijuana will help control and remove the black market is a statement that is not based in reality.

“Passing full-scale commercialization of these drugs will undoubtedly lead to more instances of youth use, ER visits for accidental drug ingestions, drugged driving fatalities, and substance use disorders, just as it has in every other state that has experimented with a commercial marijuana marketplace,” Niforatos told Restoration News.

Virginia Doesn’t Need More Drugs

Virginia does not need to follow the footsteps of “progressive” cities that have crippling mental health issues, rampant drug use, and crime policies that incentivize lawlessness.

Virginia needs sound policy that protects law-abiding citizens. Gov. Youngkin must veto any retail marijuana bills that land on his desk.

(READ MORE: Dazed and Confused—What’s Going On With Georgia’s Marijuana Laws?)