Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger just vetoed a bill that would have increased access to marijuana. If even she, one of the most liberal governors in the nation, sees the danger of expanding cannabis access, this development should be a warning to every state in the nation and the federal government, too.
Current Virginia state law allows individuals over the age of 21 to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, give up to one ounce to another person, and grow four cannabis plants per household. But it cannot be legally sold for recreational purposes. In the five years since the state legalized it, pro-cannabis activists have been pushing to further increase access to marijuana in the state. Though bills have made it to the governor’s desk before, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed them each time.
With a Democrat governor now in office, the pro-marijuana crowd hoped that they’d finally get new marijuana legislation across the finish line. But it was not to be. HB 642/SB 542 would have established a retail market for recreational marijuana, but Spanberger was concerned that it lacked the proper regulatory framework to be implemented safely. She offered several amendments to the bill, but when the General Assembly rejected the changes, she chose to veto it entirely.
Although it’s unfortunate that recreational marijuana is legal at all in Virginia, it is of note that a Democrat governor is slow walking the move to increase availability even further. The Governor recognizes that expanding marijuana access will likely make Virginia a worse place to live, not better. This has been the experience of other states that have gone down this path.
The federal government should pay attention to state experiences and reconsider its actions in this area. In April, the Justice Department (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced that all FDA-approved products containing marijuana, as well as marijuana covered by a state-issued medical marijuana license, were moved from Schedule I to Schedule III substances, effective immediately. This move was a response to the President’s December Executive Order, which requested the DOJ to complete the rulemaking process to reclassify marijuana.
Cannabis, as a plant, and in most regulatory and recreational contexts, is still classified as a Schedule I drug. But this move by the DOJ is the most significant change in marijuana policy in decades. And more is to come – a hearing is scheduled for June 29 for the rescheduling of marijuana as a whole.
Concerned Women for America (CWA) firmly believes that marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug. The definition for a Schedule I drug is that it has a high potential for abuse and has no FDA-approved use, both of which are true of marijuana. Whether or not people use it for medicinal purposes does not change the fact that marijuana is an easily and often abused substance. And though there are four FDA-approved prescribable drugs that contain elements of the cannabis plant, and though it is one of the most studied substances, marijuana itself has never been approved for medicinal uses.
In contrast, Schedule III drugs have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” That definition does not describe marijuana at all. Rescheduling marijuana or increasing its availability would send the message that the drug is safe for consumption, which research shows is clearly not true. From its highly addictive quality to its severe impact on heart health, brain cognition, fertility, and behavioral health, the government should not be encouraging marijuana use.
Unfortunately, rescheduling marijuana is not just about making it more widely available; it’s also about granting billions of dollars in tax breaks to the marijuana industry. Currently, Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Service prevents businesses from claiming deductions for expenses incurred from “trafficking” in Schedule I and II substances. By changing marijuana to a Schedule III drug, the industry will be awarded with a massive tax break for cannabis businesses. This is why there is so much pressure on the White House to move forward with reclassification.
Profits should never come before the common good, and the nonpartisan fight against easy access to drugs is evidence of that.
