By Monterey Bud
“The Old Dominion,” a.k.a. Virginia, first legalized medical marijuana in 2015 with the passage of House Bill 1445. Considered overly restrictive by many policymakers and their anguished constituents, a handful of politicians have cultivated more than a few pieces of new MMJ legislation to be rolled out during the 2017 legislative session.
Primarily focused on evolving their list of acceptable conditions for which Virginians can qualify for the state’s medicinal cannabis program, last Monday a Senate committee weeded out two bills aimed at decriminalizing marijuana.
Less concerned with providing legal cover for recreational consumption, last week Senate Bill 908 & House Bill 1906 were unanimously rejected by the Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Under HB 1906, those busted with less than 14 g of marijuana for personal use would have been punished by a civil fine of no more than $250 for their first offense. Currently under Virginia’s law, individuals caught with the therapeutic herb can face a maximum fine of $500 and 30 days in jail.
While a definite buzzkill for many residents, Virginia’s lawmakers remained open minded to increasing access to medical marijuana. Not so quiet on the medicinal front in Virginia’s General Assembly, three additional bills are seeking to expand the medical uses of the plant’s healing cannabinoids.
House Bill 2135: Introduced by Mark Levine, a Democrat from Virginia’s 45th District, passage of HB 2135 would allow physicians to recommend medicinal cannabis “for the treatment of any medical condition.” The bill also addresses false or fraudulent medical marijuana recommendations and is currently awaiting a hearing from the Virginia House Justice Committee.
House Bill 1637: Not always a partisan issue, Delegate Glenn R Davis, a Republican from Virginia Beach, has authored a bill that would allow Virginians suffering from Crohn’s disease to utilize the non-psychoactive oil derived from the CBD and THC-A cannabinoids.
Senate Bill 1452: To be voted on this week, Sen. Louise Lucas’ SB 1452 seeks to legalize doctor prescribed THC-A and CBD oil for Virginia’s residents who suffer from cancer or epilepsy.
Far from just the state motto, “Sic semper Tyrannis” should be considered a real warning to Virginia’s politicians who refuse to represent the wants and needs of their constituents.
