![Noel | Adobe Stock](/remote/aHR0cHM6Ly9naWVjZG4uYmxvYi5jb3JlLndpbmRvd3MubmV0L2ZpbGV1cGxvYWRzL2ltYWdlLzIwMjAvMTIvMDEvdmlyZ2luaWFzdGF0ZWhvdXNlLWFkb2Jlc3RvY2stY3JlZGl0LW5vZWwtcmVzaXplZC5qcGc.AUrkPJUWem0.jpg?w=948&h=533&format=webp&mode=pad&anchor=middlecenter&scale=both&bgcolor=F0F1F2)
Noel | Adobe Stock
The Virginia Marijuana Legalization Work Group, which was tasked with studying the impact of adult-use legalization in the state, released its recommendations Nov. 30, according to a WTVR.com report.
The group, which was made up of community leaders, healthcare professionals, policy experts and members of Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration, was created by lawmakers as part of a cannabis decriminalization bill that became law earlier this year, the news outlet reported.
RELATED: Virginia Will Decriminalize Cannabis on July 1
The roughly 400-page report outlines guidelines for taxation, banking, criminal justice, licensing, regulation and consumer safety, according to WTVR.com, and includes recommendations on five key principles that Northam wants to see in a final legalization bill: social, racial and economic equity; public health; protections for youth; upholding the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act; and data collection.
Northam announced plans last month to introduce an adult-use cannabis legalization bill when the General Assembly reconvenes in January, following the release of a Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission study on the potential impacts of legalization in the state.
That study found that legalization could generate more than $300 million in annual tax revenues by the fifth year of the program, reduce cannabis-related arrests by 84% when combined with decriminalization and create more than 11,000 jobs in Virginia.
Latest from Cannabis Business Times
- USC Athletics, Cookies Announce Trailblazing CBD Partnership for College Football, Basketball Sponsorship
- Trulieve Set to Open Medical Cannabis Dispensary in Clearwater
- Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program Attracts 5K License Applicants
- AYR Wellness Awarded Virginia’s HSA I Vertical Cannabis License
- Navigating the Green Line: How to Balance Selling and Profitability in Cannabis Retail
- DCC’s ‘Inadequate Oversight’ of $100M Undermined California Licensing Program for Cannabis Growers
- High Tide to Open Canna Cabana Store in Lucan, Ontario
- Whitney Economics Reduces 2030 Hemp Fiber and Grain Acreage Forecast by 4.5 Million Acres