Legal marijuana, elimination of mandatory minimums advance in Virginia House committee
(The Center Square) – A Virginia House committee advanced a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth and spend the bulk of the tax proceeds generated on at-risk youth education.
House Bill 2312, sponsored by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, would legalize the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana in the commonwealth. It advanced through the Virginia House Appropriations Committee with a 14-7 vote. Legal marijuana receives support from most Democratic lawmakers and opposition from most Republicans.
The implementation of the bill would cost the commonwealth approximately $26 million in frontline costs, but is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in years following. There would also be costs associated with expungement of those with marijuana-related convictions. The legislation would also create an equity reinvestment fund to pour money into communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the enforcement of marijuana laws, which would be funded with 30% of the proceeds received from taxing marijuana sales.
Marijuana would be taxed at 21% under the legislation with an optional 3% tax imposed by local governments that have retail stores in their jurisdictions. After using revenue to offset the costs of the program, 40% of the proceeds would be spent on education for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds, 25% for substance abuse prevention and treatment and 5% for other public health programs.
Revenue estimates for legal marijuana could range anywhere from $13.8 million to $23 million in Fiscal Year 2024 according to estimates, but will steadily increase in future years. By Fiscal Year 2025, the state will take in between $67 million and $112.6 million, by 2026, between $103.8 million and $173 million, and by 2027, between $135.6 million 225.9 million.
Under the legislation, adults 21 years or older would be allowed to buy marijuana and retail stores would be required to enforce ID checks. Individuals without a license would be allowed to grow small amounts of marijuana, but selling without a license would be a misdemeanor.
Another bill to advance would eliminate most of the mandatory minimum sentences within the state. House Bill 2331, sponsored by Del. Michael Mullin, D-Newport News, would cost the state about $6 million per year, but the costs for the additional workload for the state is still indeterminate. It advanced 14-8.
Similar efforts on both reforms have also made progress in the Virginia Senate. The effort has substantial Democratic support in both chambers and substantial Republican opposition, but both chambers have a Democratic majority.
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