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‘Legalize Virginia’ to Elevate the Discussion Around Marijuana Reform

Jesse Scaccia | September 10, 2018

Topics: ACLU, Board of Pharmacy, CBD, Marijuana, marijuana dispensaries, medical marijuana, Medicinal, Norfolk, O'Connor Brewing Company, Virginia marijuana laws, Virginia NORML

Update: Legalize Virginia has been rescheduled to next week, starting Sept. 18.

Last week the Board of Pharmacy Ad Hoc Committee met to determine which companies will be the first to be able to open medical cannabis dispensaries in Virginia.

Yes, they met behind closed doors. And no, the current law is not enough. But that doesn’t change the fact that what is happening right now is a huge, huge step for marijuana in Virginia.

Within the next year, you will be able to bring a form signed by your doctor to a regulated business in the Commonwealth, and there, they will give you an oil derived from a marijuana plant grown on site. It’s just the beginning for those very lucky five business license holders, who you can expect to fiercely try to attract as many patient customers through their doors as possible.

When you picture the folks waiting in line at those dispensaries, I urge you to think of the hundreds of thousands of people in Virginia with genuine illnesses and conditions, who genuinely will find solace and healing from medical marijuana.

Think of my friend Creed Leffler, who has Cerebral Palsy. He calls marijuana the “miracle plant” for the way it helps his muscles relax. “There is no such thing as recreational marijuana,” Leffler said. “It’s all medicinal.”

Creed Leffler

The list of the ailments that can be treated with marijuana is longer than your arm. Check out this chart. Chronic pain, epilepsy, PTSD, ALS, cancer, diabetes — the list goes on and on. The stories are heartbreaking.

Melanie Seifert Davis’s daughter Maddie has been fighting metastatic brain cancer since she was five. “Because of the use of multiple cannabis products, Madison lives a life free of pain, seizures or any limiting deficits, and full of the joys of childhood all children deserve,” said Davis, an ER nurse. “My degree in Biology and my years in the trenches of modern medicine have enabled me to make treatment decisions for my family that rely on evidence-based best practices and emerging research findings, including the multitude of medical benefits that can be derived from marijuana.”

Melanie Seifert Davis’ with her daughter Maddie

I expect marijuana law reform in Virginia to move relatively quickly from here. Expect the businesses granted licenses to be a part of the army of voices banging the drum for even more cannabis law reform in the Commonwealth. The organization I am a part of, Virginia NORML, will be pushing for a decriminalization bill this upcoming General Assembly.

There is hope. There is a plan. And there’s also going to be a party.

Virginia NORML is working with Norfolk’s O’Connor Brewing Company to push the conversation forward with Legalize Virginia Festival, a week-long series of workshops, panels, events, and activities all diving into a different aspect of reform.

Last Monday, the group held “Marijuana Saved My Life: Cannabis as Medicine in Virginia,” a forum on the new medical cannabis law, who it will help, and how to talk to your doctor about it, with Virginia NORML Executive Director Jenn Michelle Pedini leading the panel. Lisa Bohn, a Purple Heart veteran who uses cannabis to help her cope with PTSD, along with Davis and Leffler, will also speak on the panel. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, the festival will hold the “Equity and Expungement: Talking Marijuana and Race in Virginia” panel, which will look at the disparity in arrest rates among white Virginians and Virginians of color, the expungement of records of those with marijuana offenses, and more. Norfolk NAACP President Joe Dillard, Bill Farrar, director of public policy and communications for ACLU of Virginia, and expungement and restoration of rights attorney Wanda Cooper will serve on the panel. Thursday’s discussion will dive into what cities in Virginia can do about cannabis law reform.

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All forums run from 7 to 8 pm at O’Connor Brewing Company and followed by more informal workshops. Tonight, there will be a workshop on growing hops and hemp, on Tuesday will be a workshop on entering the cannabis industry, and on Thursday there will be a workshop on how to be a kick-ass marijuana activist.

Friday, Sept. 21 is the festival atmosphere. O’Connor is releasing a special beer they’re brewing with hemp seeds, called “YES, NORFOLK CAN(yon),” a pale ale modeled after their Norfolk Canyon brew. There will be a ton of pop-ups as part of NOMARAMA’s Munchie Market, a killer list of independent vendors, DJs, a pop-up yoga class, and a retro arcade. The festival runs from 3 pm to midnight.

The fact that O’Connor Brewing Co., a major name in Virginia craft beer, is hosting this series of events is, in-and-of-itself, a testament to the new day for marijuana in Virginia.

This issue is out of the shadows. Soon, we’ll be walking into legal dispensaries in the light of day. And what a beautiful day that will be.

You can check out the entire schedule for Legalize Virginia here.

The State Of Medicinal Marijuana In Virginia

Ash Griffith | April 20, 2018

Topics: CBD, decriminalization, medical marijuana, Medicinal, Ralph Northam, THC, Virginia NORML

Ever since Gov. Ralph Northam signed HB 1251 in February, there has been a lot of contained excitement and talk in the Commonwealth. This has come from many different legislative viewpoints and policy perspectives. HB 1251 is officially a game changer, which now allows doctors to recommend cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oils to patients with a diagnosed condition or disease that could benefit from them. Yes, that’s right, oil, not the plant itself, and just recommend, not exactly decriminalized.

Image by Medical Jane

Even though the feedback surrounding the legislation has been mostly positive, especially since the bill was approved with a startlingly unanimous 40-0 vote, there has still been a lot of misconceptions and confusion. Despite having a Democratic governor in the office, it’s still important to know the rules to play the game, more so when it comes to marijuana legislation.

Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THC)

Executive Director of Virginia NORML, Jenn Michelle Pedini, is no stranger to the game, and is very quick to help correct the misconceptions people have been making since the house bill was introduced and passed. One of the largest misconceptions is that cannabis oil is now legal, which is inaccurate. Rather what was passed and expanded on was something known as an affirmative defense.

“It doesn’t make something legal,” said Pedini. “But provides a defense that is acceptable for certain possessions.” Under this model, law enforcement cannot pursue arrests for medicinal usage, but they can still arrest a person should they chose to. Does it necessarily preempt arrest? No, but should it? Absolutely. It doesn’t necessarily preempt that.”

While conversationally everyone throws around the phrase “legalized”, which isn’t completely inaccurate in that it relays certain information, it is still not correct in regards to what the actual legalities are. Out of the 30 states where medical cannabis laws are in effect, medical cannabis is only recommended, but never prescribed which is why the affirmative defense clause is in motion so that if a patient is caught transporting medicine across state lines from a reciprocity state they are less likely (but not guaranteed, interestingly) to be arrested for what is effectively drug trafficking.

So if that’s the case, how close are we to taxing and adult regulation in Virginia?

“Marijuana number one is schedule one, but even if it were on a different schedule, there are still specific restrictions on marijuana itself from the DEA,” said Pedini, when asked how marijuana scheduling works at a federal level. “Removing [it] from the controlled substances act would be helpful and allow for further testing, but the type of testing that we’re talking about is testing that would allow for the pharmaceuticalization.”

This brings up another aspect of the medicinal marijuana conversation. For anyone who has paid attention to the news in the last year, they will be firmly aware of the opioid crisis that has permeated throughout the US. It is has become so entrenched that it is even affecting how doctors are prescribing medication to their patients. Yet one of the strongest arguments in place right now for the legalization of medical marijuana is that it has the potential to mitigate some of the crisis surrounding opioid addiction.

Pedini doesn’t disagree with this defense, who said the data and research in place to support this hypothesis doesn’t lie. If anything it poses a larger question of why this has not been considered sooner.  

One of the most famous compounds in marijuana, THC, halts the rapid increase of opiate receptors. Doing so allows patients who need to use opiates to use the same amount consistently, instead of steadily wanting more and more when they don’t need it. Similarly to when you’ve just had surgery and get that first morphine drip and you feel fantastic, and then four hours later you want a little more.

“It’s because of these simple biological mechanisms are why people ‘substitute’ cannabis for opiates. There was this sort of trope for a while of ‘well they’re just substituting one drug for the other,’ and ‘they just want to get high’,” said Pedini. She also talked about the perception of “moral failure” and how the idea of “swapping one out for the other” has had a detrimental impact on considering marijuana as an acceptable alternative to opioids.

In the US, there are nine states in total that tax and regulate the adult use of marijuana such as Colorado and Vermont. 

Having a democratic governor such as Ralph Northam has made a positive difference in the fight for medical marijuana, and bodes well for the future of regulated adult use in Virginia; there are still many legislative hurdles ahead. Among those things is successfully implementing state-wide medical regulation and a shift in federal policy at a national level.

Pedini was also clear about this. “Virginia’s policymakers will not pass any law that remains in conflict with federal law. “You can safely assume that they’re going to require a shift in federal policy first in order to tax and regulate marijuana for adult use in the Commonwealth,” she said. When is this likely to happen? According to the experts like Pedini, probably not until the next presidential election.

Virginia continues to move forward with tiny, more progressive steps, such as electing two Democratic governors in a row in favor of marijuana reform. Movements such as passing a bill which expands the affirmative defense for possession from only intractable epilepsy to any diagnosed condition make it clearer that a future that states such as Colorado and Vermont experience may not be so far away after all.

Image By Vivienne Lee

Virginia Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill 40-0

Ash Griffith | February 6, 2018

Topics: CBD oil, medical marijuana, THC oil, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia senate

In a unanimous vote Monday, the Virginia Senate passed a bill that will expand the use of medical marijuana in the state. Just days after the House passed companion bill HB 1251, the Senate voted 40-0 to pass SB 726, or the “doctor’s decide” bill, which if approved by Gov. Ralph Northam, will allow Virginia doctors to recommend cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oils to patients with a diagnosed condition or disease that could benefit from them. 

“I finally decided that I needed to advocate for the physicians being the decision makers,” said Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, who introduced the bill, in an interview to NewsLeader.com. “We, physicians, are the ones that follow the literature and know which treatments are best for different conditions…”

In 2015, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law two medical marijuana bills that allowed the use of Cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil by patients who suffer from persistent epileptic seizures. And last year, the General Assembly passed legislation permitting the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis oils for up to five pharmaceutical processors one per health service area, but the only condition permitted was intractable epilepsy.

Supporters of the bill, including Dunnavant, believe that it may also help in cutting down on the current opioid epidemic in Virginia. 

“States that have medical cannabis laws see a 25 percent reduction in opiate overdose deaths,” she wrote in a blog she posted about the bill on her website. “We are all aware of the opiate crisis we are combating at the state and national level. Evidence shows that the anti-inflammatory properties of THC-A oil help reduce chronic pain.”

The decision overall comes to the joy and relief of many Virginians, especially those suffering from diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, Crohn’s, or PTSD. However, it is no shock that the process to obtain some sort of legalization is a long one. Many delegates have tried to pass many bills in relation only to have them die.

“Things happen very slowly in the legislature, and this was an educational process. It took time and education and a tremendous amount of energy and passion on the part of the families.” Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) told The Washington Post. 

Lawmakers believe that the current win is due to the resilience of families lobbying for the bill to be passed, and the ever-growing information supporting the benefits versus the negative effects. Also, the peer pressure looming in from other states who have already legalized it probably didn’t hurt.

The bill is slated to go Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk next, who has been in favor of expanding the use of medical marijuana since he was on the campaign trail.

In an interview with RVA Mag’s Transmission series during the primary, he came out in strong support of decriminalization of marijuana, claiming, “There are far too many people who use marijuana who end up in our courts, jails, and penitentiaries…there is also an inequality out there. African Americans are 2.8 times more likely to be arrested and put in jail for marijuana. So I’m all about decriminalizing marijuana.”

Currently, 29 states and D.C. have full medical cannabis programs and 16 with more limited CBD laws. Virginia is the only one of those to allow THC-A.

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

 

Could this be the Year for a Medical Marijuana Breakthrough in Virginia?

Jesse Scaccia | January 24, 2018

Topics: Criminal Justice Reform, decriminalization, medical marijuana, NORML, Ralph Northam, virginia

While much of the media attention surrounding marijuana reform in Virginia has been focused on decriminalization this past year, it is another facet of the movement that appears most poised for a major legislative advance this session of the General Assembly:

Medical marijuana.

“The biggest hope for gains is on the healthcare front,” said Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of Virginia NORML. “Senator Dunnavant and Delegate Cline’s Joint Commission on Health Care bills would expand Virginia’s medical cannabis program so that all patients will have access.”

Senate Bill 726 is a “doctor’s decide” bill, meaning that physicians in the Commonwealth will be able to recommend the use of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil to treat or alleviate the symptoms of any diagnosed condition or disease determined by the practitioner to benefit from such use.

“This would expand patient access to extraction-based cannabis medicines that will meet the need of Virginia’s most critically ill patients — as well as those suffering from everyday conditions like arthritis,” said Pedini.

This bill is more likely to be successful than efforts in the past because it was originated through the committee process, and has been shepherded by a Republican doctor, Senator Siobhan Dunnavant.

“States that have medical cannabis laws see a 25 percent reduction in opiate overdose deaths,” Sen. Dunnavant wrote in a blog she posted about the bill on her website. “We are all aware of the opiate crisis we are combating at the state and national level. Evidence shows that the anti-inflammatory properties of THC a oil help reduce chronic pain.”

Last year, Gov. McAuliffe signed into law legislation to allow the licensing of five pharmaceutical processors — one per health service area in the state — which will produce medical cannabis oils.

“These facilities will look more like a CVS than a Colorado dispensary,” said Pedini.

SB 726’s companion bill in the House, HB 1251, unanimously passed through subcommittee today, clearing what might have been its most substantial hurdle on its path to being law.

And there is increasing evidence that marijuana is actually a “step down” drug that could prove a major force in combating the Commonwealth’s opioid epidemic. Medical cannabis legalization leads to a substantial drop in opioid-related hospital visits, reported the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California San Diego.

Advocates for marijuana decriminalization were let down when Senate Majority leader Tommy Norment — who previously had voiced support for decriminalization — instead introduced an expungement bill.

“We’re still examining the ultimate impact of this legislation,” said Pedini. “The way it looks right now, this bill would not make the expungement process affordable for the majority of defendants.”

The public sentiment on the issue is clear: the Commonwealth wants marijuana reform. Recently the Virginia Crime Commission solicited citizen feedback on the issue. Staff received over 5,665 written comments, of which 3,743 supported decriminalization and 107 did not.

The racial disparity in marijuana-related arrests in Virginia is alarming. “Males, young adults, and Blacks are over-represented in the total number of arrests for possession as compared to their overall general population in Virginia,” cited the nonpartisan Crime Commission report. While whites and blacks use marijuana at similar rates, in Virginia blacks are charged at a rate of over 3-to-1. In some parts of Virginia, that ratio is 11-to-1.

All marijuana-related bills pass through the Courts of Justice Committees. From there they would head to the House and Senate for votes, and then to the desk of newly inaugurated Gov. Ralph Northam, who has previously stated his support for doctor-recommended medical cannabis.

“Marijuana decriminalization is a racial justice issue,” Dr. Northam has stated.

During the 2018 General Assembly session — which runs from January 10 to March 10 — legislators will vote on thousands of bills. They rely on feedback from constituents to determine their votes.

“If people want to support this, use the Virginia NORML email action alert, and pick up the phone and call your elected officials,” said Pedini.

Cover Photo by Harvard Health 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

Opinion: Time to Legalize Medical Marijuana to Help Virginia’s Chronically Ill

Malik Hall | November 13, 2017

Topics: legalization of marijuana, marijuana decriminalization, medical marijuana, Virginia NORML

Charlotte Figi was three months old when she first started having seizures. By age two, she began having seizures so severe it resulted in the loss of motor ability. After a series of grueling and rigorous tests, she was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of intractable epilepsy according to CNN’s report. Charlotte’s family, based in Colorado, was on the verge of giving up before a specific treatment became available one offered the chance for their daughter to live a normal life.  

After a change in medicine at the age of six, her attacks decreased to two to three times a month, down from 300 a week, and she was even able to ride her bike and feed herself. And what was the medicine that helped Charlotte so much? The oil extracted from cannabis or marijuana.  

Here in Virginia, as the laws currently stand, only patients with intractable epilepsy are able to offer their illness as an affirmative defense in court. For everyone else who could potentially benefit from cannabis extracts — those with cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s, the use of cannabis oil as a medical treatment is still deemed a criminal offense.

“We had pieces of legislation in 2017 that sought to expand patient access and all five of them were tabled in the House Criminal Law Subcommittee,” said Jenn Michelle Pedini, Virginia’s NORML Executive Director.

Recently, though, on Oct. 17, Virginia’s Joint Commission on Health Care released a 93-page report on the medical use and health effects of cannabis. This report was issued in response to a request for scientifically-based clarification about the healing properties and psychoactive effects of cannabis extracts, which can now be legally manufactured by pharmaceutical companies with the passing of Bill SB 1027. This bill authorizes, “…a pharmaceutical processor, after obtaining a permit from the Board of Pharmacy (the Board) and under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, to manufacture and provide cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil to be used for the treatment of intractable epilepsy.”

However, until the Board of Pharmacy amends the licensing processes for this to take place, these patients will still have to travel to states where it is legal – potentially committing “drug trafficking” offenses to obtain them.

Now I’m not making the claim that smoking marijuana is a “cure-all” for all illnesses as some die-hard enthusiasts claim. What I am claiming is that extracts from marijuana have scientifically proven medicinal benefits, and that must be considered by our policy makers and legislators.

Marinol, which is a full strength synthetic THC — THC being the primary active chemical in marijuana — comes with some side effects, including dizziness, confusion, and the “high” feeling one gets when normally smoking cannabis. Yet, it is available by prescription in the state of Virginia.

The reason for these undesired effects is that it doesn’t have the terpenoids – chemicals that are responsible for giving the plant its distinct scent – and complementary cannabinoids – like THC, there are 113 of these active chemical compounds that are responsible for interacting with neurotransmitters exhibiting the psychoactive effects associated with cannabis.  Both of these naturally occur in marijuana and are able to mitigate these side effects. Without them, Marinol can present more harmful side effects than actual CBD and THC-A oils.

And if a synthetic version of an extract has been proven to be more harmful than the actual substance, there should be no logical reason to make that substance illegal.

This issue of medical marijuana derivatives has been polarizing in the past. However, a recent Quinnipiac poll shows that an overwhelming 92 percent of voters support medical marijuana when it is prescribed at a doctor’s discretion. Hell, 64 percent of the nation even supports recreational use of marijuana.

So what’s the hold-up?

Pedini relayed to me a variety of information on the current state of Cannabidiol Oil Laws (COL) in the Commonwealth. According to her, the delay in legalizing the wider medical use of cannabis oils is due to the those who profit from archaic and failed views on the war on drugs.

“There are certain industries that benefit from maintaining the status quo,” said Pedini. “That is primarily {those} who lobby not only against marijuana reform, but other types of criminal justice reform [as well],”

Specific industries she’s referring to here include the substance abuse management industry, law enforcement, and some legislators that take campaign contributions from these industries. Pedini went on to say, “A lot of these legislators are prosecutors or criminal defense attorneys, and they view marijuana law infractions in a much different context than someone who concerned about medical access does.”.

It’s disappointing (to say the least) that these individuals fight to retain control over a system they helped create, even when it means preventing chronically ill people from receiving much-needed care and relief. A common claim by the opposition is that these oils can be used as an excuse to get high. However, the JCHC report admits from the outset that CBD contains no intoxicating properties.

It is psychoactive by nature, as are most drugs, but psychoactive merely means altering your brain function. With CBD oil, that’s as far as it goes, stopping well short of any intoxicating effects. THC-A also does not have intoxicating properties on its own, but a normal 15 percent THC-A dose can be overheated to reach 5 percent THC. This sounds like a cause for concern, but SB 1027 already allows up to 5 percent THC in medications for children with intractable epilepsy.

“There’s no particular need for Virginia to roll it’s already hyper-restrictive program backwards. That doesn’t serve patients, it doesn’t serve public safety — it doesn’t really serve anyone,” said Pedini.

This is not to mention that obtaining THC-A just to get that 5 percent of THC would be an overly expensive process; doctors’ visits, prescription costs, and deductible payments costs would add up to far more than such drugs would cost on the street.

Besides, these substances won’t fall into the hands of your stereotypical drug dealer anyway; most advocates, including NORML, are in favor of legal medicinal cannabis extracts being treated as any other prescription and requiring a doctor to sign off on its use.

Pedini reinforced this sentiment by saying, “Health care should be practiced by trained medical professionals, and in conference with the actual patient and the provider — not between a state senator.”

Sentiments were expressed by opponents of decriminalization at the recent decriminalization meeting held by the State Crime Commission, however – to the effect that “the leniency on one marijuana-related law will pave the way to full-blown legalization.” With the current makeup of the General Assembly, though, the fear of legalization has no merit, even after the recent shift bringing about a 50-50 split in the House of Delegates.

Statistics also have shown that in states with COL laws have no significant increase in marijuana use for both youth and young adult groups. A study in the journal Addiction recently found that increases in the use of marijuana amongst Oregon college students mainly occurred with students who were already likely to binge-drink. Students likely to abuse one legal drug may be likely to abuse another, but it seems everyone else’s usage stays about the same.

Make no mistake, I do believe that legalization for recreational use should occur. But this is an argument for another day.

It’s also intriguing to note that the report by the health commission features statistics showing that states with medical cannabis laws in place have a 25 percent reduction in opiate overdoses. “It is not a silver bullet to the opiate crisis, but it can play a very meaningful impact,” said Pedini.

Come November 21, the JCHC will meet to discuss policy options and bill options for the 2018 General Assembly. With the reports from both the JCHC and the State Crime Commission, Gov. McAuliffe signing SB 1027 allowing for the manufacturing of these extracts in-state, and Governor-Elect Ralph Northam — a former doctor- has expressed an “open mind” to marijuana reform — the ball is in our court.

“By decriminalizing it, our researchers can better study the plant so doctors can more effectively prescribe drugs made from it,” said Governor-Elect Northam on his campaign website.

Virginia, we need to let the JCHC know that extracts are just as safe and effective as most traditional medicines and pave the way for patients to at least have this as an option.

Gov. McAuliffe expected to sign marijuana reforms

RVA Staff | March 13, 2017

Topics: cannabis extract oils, community, epilepsy, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Marijuana, Marijuana Policy Project, marijuana possession, marijuana reform, medical marijuana

RICHMOND – Virginia probably will ease up a bit in its laws against marijuana by making it easier for epilepsy patients to obtain cannabis extract oils and by relaxing the penalty for people caught with small amounts of marijuana.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe is expected to sign the handful of marijuana-related bills passed by the General Assembly during its recent session. They include SB 1027, which will allow Virginia pharmacies to make and sell marijuana extract oils for treating intractable epilepsy, and HB 2051 and SB 1091, which will eliminate the state’s punishment of automatically suspending the driver’s license of adults convicted of simple marijuana possession.

Currently, it is illegal in Virginia to purchase THC-A or CBD oils. In 2015, the General Assembly carved out one exception – for people who suffer from intractable epilepsy. Epilepsy patients and their caregivers are allowed to possess the marijuana extract oils. But they face problems buying the medication.

SB 1027, sponsored by Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, will allow “pharmaceutical processors” – after obtaining a permit from the state Board of Pharmacy and under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist – to grow low-THC cannabis, manufacture the oil and then provide it to epilepsy patients who have a written certification from a doctor.

Words By SaraRose Martin via VCU Capital News Service.

“Virginia will only be the second state in the nation that has this type of program, the first being Missouri,” said Maggie Ellinger-Locke, legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates liberalizing marijuana laws.

“It’s a far cry from an effective medical marijuana program, but it’s still a step in the right direction.”

Ellinger-Locke said 28 states and the District of Columbia have full-fledged programs in which people with cancer, glaucoma and other diseases can get a prescription to use marijuana.
Marsden’s bill includes an emergency clause. So when the governor signs it, the law will take effect immediately.

Del. Les. Adams, R-Chatham, and Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, carried the measures regarding driver’s licenses. Under the legislation, which would take effect July 1, judges will have the discretion to suspend the license of an adult convicted of marijuana possession – but the penalty would not be automatic. Juveniles would still be subject to an automatic six-month suspension of their driver’s license.

Ellinger-Locke said the laws are in step with reforms happening across the country.
“We are optimistic,” she said. “The polling shows that Virginians desperately want their marijuana policy changed and laws reformed in some capacity, and I think that lawmakers are starting to hear the call in Virginia as well as throughout the U.S.”

Those calls went largely unheeded during the 2017 legislative session, as about a dozen proposals, ranging from establishing a medical marijuana program to decriminalizing marijuana possession, failed.

For example, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel of Winchester introduced bills to make marijuana products available to people with cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and several other diseases (SB 1298) and to create a pilot program for farmers to grow hemp (SB 1306). Both bills cleared the Senate but died in the House.

Marijuana likely will be an issue in statewide elections this year. Vogel, who is seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, has vowed to be an advocate for medical marijuana.

“It has no psychotropic effects, and no one is dealing it on the illicit market. For the people that are sick and really wanted the bill to pass, it was heartbreaking,” Vogel said. “I think this is a little bit of bias and a little bit of lack of education … The overwhelming majority of the voting public believes having access to that kind of medication is very helpful.”

Medical marijuana bills faced opposition from legislators afraid that expansion may become a slippery slope. Sen. Dick Black, R-Loudoun, recalled returning from serving in the Marines in Vietnam in the 1960s when, he said, marijuana use caused a collapse of “good order and discipline.”

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