proposed amendments to the cannabis commerce legalization measure<\/a>\u2014including delaying the start date for sales by six months, increasing taxes and instituting new criminal penalties for cannabis consumers.<\/p>\nSen. Lashrecse Aird (D) said the governor\u2019s substitute of her legislation \u201crepresents a significant departure from the framework passed by the General Assembly, raising serious concerns about fairness, access and public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy making the legal market harder to access, this proposal allows the illicit market to continue to thrive in every corner store in our Commonwealth. That undermines the core goals of legalization and increases the likelihood of untested products, inconsistent potency, and lacks consumer protections,\u201d she said. \u201cIt also weakens safeguards designed to prevent youth access and ensure accountability ultimately posing a risk to public health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Del. Paul Krizek (D), who sponsored the cannabis bill in the House of Delegates, said Spanberger\u2019s proposal \u201ccreates a less accessible legal marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese changes reduce the number of available licenses, delay the launch of retail sales and impose high barriers to entry, resulting in revenue losses, delayed economic opportunity for market participants and the elimination of investment to small businesses,\u201d he said. \u201cThese barriers do not eliminate demand, it simply redirects it back to the illicit market.\u201d<\/p>\n