Last week, newly appointed House Representative Bob Good wrote a letter to Virginia’s Governor Northam. In this letter, Representative Good urged the governor to veto the cannabis bill that is currently sitting on his desk. 

The Letter

In the letter, Good states, “this legislation would undermine the rule of law. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Accordingly, no state has the jurisdiction to legalize recreational use of marijuana without Congressionally enacted reform or the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) taking administrative action to reschedule it.”

The argument continues. “Not only would efforts to legalize marijuana undermine the rule of law and federal law enforcement, it is also harmful to families. Legalizing recreational use of marijuana, even if limited to adults, will likely expose more children to drug use at young impressionable ages. Marijuana is often the ‘gateway’ drug, and its legalization will increase experimentation with it and other drugs.”

Good’s main argument is that cannabis is currently a Schedule I drug through the DEA. If a state undermines the government’s rules, then what will stop them from doing more in the future? However, general cannabis understanding and legalization is moving across the country. As many as 36 states offer medical cannabis on some level. 12 of those states also offer recreational cannabis in small doses to citizens over 21. This trend continues to grow as the domino effect for cannabis legalization continues across the country.

Response

Currently in Virginia, almost 70 percent of citizens approve of the measure to legalize recreational use marijuana. Of those polled, 51 percent of them identified as Republican. This means even conservatives are on board with better access to cannabis for adults. 

The concern Representative Good brings forward is more children and young members of families in Virginia could be exposed to drugs. Having adults openly use drugs in front of them would encourage them to seek out drugs themselves. The counter argument is both nicotine and alcohol are legal substances for adults. Many households with young children often times have nicotine and alcohol in them as well. Both of these substances can be harmful and addictive to young children. However, no one argues they be removed from households like they do with cannabis. 

Seeing cannabis as a “gateway” drug is also a strong point that Good makes in his letter to Governor Northam. Many people who take “harder” substances such as heroin or LSD typically tried marijuana beforehand. This is most likely because marijuana was cheaper and more readily available than other drugs. Research shows that just because someone used cannabis before doesn’t mean cannabis led them to make that change. 

Addiction is a complicated topic. There are numerous factors that can lead someone to form an addiction or a substance use disorder. This can be personal, social, genetic, and/or environmental factors. Marijuana can’t be connected to one factor over another as a “gateway” drug. 

Future

It is very unlikely that Governor Northam will veto his own bill. He has been advocating for marijuana legalization since his State of the Commonwealth Speech on January 7. Amendments will be sent to both chambers in order to help create better social equity measures. When those amendments will appear is unknown.

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.