Virginia State House and Senate Votes to Legalize Marijuana Starting in 2024

Virginia's state Senate and House of Delegates approved marijuana legalization bills on Friday, paving the way for the statewide legal consumption of marijuana.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's signature is required before the bill becomes law. If Northam signs, marijuana would be legal for individuals 21 years old and older to consume on a recreational basis. Virginia would become the 16th state to legalize marijuana.

Introduced by Virginia Senator Adam Ebbin, the Senate bill would eliminate criminal penalties for simple possession and automatically expunge certain marijuana-related criminal charges from some individuals' records. After some debate, the bill passed the Senate with a vote of 23-15. A similar version of the bill was passed by the House with a vote of 55-42. Lawmakers are expected to iron out the differences between the two bills before sending a final bill to Northam.

"I think that Virginia is on a path to an equitable legalization plan for marijuana," Ebbin said Friday, according to the Associated Press. "There have been a few bumps, but I'm hopeful that we'll have a polished bill we can agree upon in the next few weeks."

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