In an interview final week with Virginia Business, Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin mentioned he “is not going to search to overturn” the Legislature-approved legislation on private hashish possession however that there “is plenty of work to be carried out” on retail gross sales.
The governor added that whereas he’s “not towards” the reforms — which had been authorized by lawmakers final February and signed into legislation by outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam (D) in March — there are some “nonstarters” within the invoice, together with “pressured unionization.”
“There have been considerations expressed by legislation enforcement in how the hole within the legal guidelines can really be enforced. Lastly, there’s an actual must be sure that we aren’t selling an anti-competitive business. I do perceive that there are preferences to be sure that all contributors within the business are certified to do the business properly.” — Youngin to Virginia Enterprise
Youngin indicated help for social fairness provisions within the legislation — which apply to minority communities most impacted by the conflict on medicine and women- and veteran-owned companies — and that the state’s hashish business guidelines and laws wanted to ensure “they’ve the capabilities to compete and thrive within the business.”
“So, I believe there’s work to be carried out,” he mentioned within the interview. “All of that shall be on the desk. Once more, I don’t look to overturn the invoice, however I believe we have to be sure that it really works.”
With the passage of the legislation final yr, Virginia turned the primary Southern state to approve broad hashish legalization. Youngkin has previously expressed doubt concerning the revenues derived from hashish legalization in states the place the reforms have been enacted and described it as “one other drawback” that will be “dumped at [his] toes.”
“And the truth is, if I had a bunch of youngsters right here that had been asking me about marijuana use, I’d inform them don’t use it,” he mentioned in a CNBC interview final Could. “The fact is that the business that everybody used because the rationale for legalizing it, has not carried out in different states. They’ve already predicated a bunch of spending on it and the truth is I’m going to must cope with this once I’m governor.”
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