On today's show we cover a headline from Marijuana Moment: Virginia GOP Lawmaker Files Marijuana Sales Bill For 2023, Eliciting Mixed Advocacy Reactions
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-gop-lawmaker-files-marijuana-sales-bill-for-2023-eliciting-mixed-advocacy-reactions/
Here's the breakdown:
A Republican Virginia lawmaker has filed a bill to create a regulated marijuana market in the Commonwealth, but it’s drawing mixed reactions from advocates, some of whom view it as a giveaway to large, multi-state operators at the expense of equity for people harmed by the war on drugs.
The bill proposes to remove language that calls on regulators to develop standards on prioritizing social equity applicants.
Instead, regulators would need to consider ways to prioritize any applicant who intends to operate in a historically economically disadvantaged area, rather than those who are from such an area.
The group Marijuana Justice Virginia said the proposed legislation “erases any commitment to addressing the harm of marijuana prohibition that continues to specifically target Black Virginians.”