by Serwan Zangana
The House and the Senate finally passed the legal retail market for Marijuana in Virginia and the bills were sent to Governor Abigail Spanberger to be signed off. House bill HB 642 and Senate bill 542 broke the obstacles and opened the path for Marijuana to enter Virginia’s communities and add another problem to the State. The bills will likely go further without facing any hurdle and pass the Governor’s desk with her signature.
Legalizing and opening Marijuana markets have been one of the legislators’ agendas for a long time as the Democrats were being the advocates and proponents of the substance. Now that the majority Democrats controls the House of Delegates and the State Senate, they were able to pass the bills without any compromise.
However, legalizing Marijuana has been a source of a controversy among the politicians and the political parties in Virginia as each side views the matter from its own political perspective. Regardless of each party’s ideological belief and political interests, realizing the risk of Marijuana or perhaps undermining its negative effect on human beings will definitely have harmful consequences.
The purpose of bills HB 642 and SB 542 is to establish a framework for the retail Marijuana market, penalties, and sale taxes to become law in Virginia. But passing these bills will increase the addiction problems and allow the Virginians an easy access to obtain such a dangerous substance.
Marijuana legalization became another political agenda that each party was pushing to influence the voters in Virginia, and indeed, with passing the bills, the Democrats have prevailed. It is noteworthy that the Marijuana advocates have always been in a defensive position as they claim that the substance is natural and less harmful compared to alcohol! Comparing Marijuana to alcohol was always a way to defend its legalization, but such a comparison will not exonerate Marijuana from being a harmful substance.
While most politicians in Virginia have ignored marijuana’s side effects as an addictive substance; therefore, it is necessary that medical experts and physicians issue warnings and educate the public about the substance and inform people that marijuana is a drug that harms the society.
Drugs have been invading American society for decades, and the American people are hurting the most. The middle and lower middle class minorities have been affected by drugs and became victims of the addiction, which in most cases leads to crimes, and hence in the eyes of the law, they become criminals. In fact, the Virginia General Assembly is not favoring the minorities by opening a wide gate, which means legalizing marijuana, for young minorities to have an access to it.
As every matter in America, marijuana has become a political issue, and instead of viewing it as an addictive substance, which causes various health problems, the General Assembly prioritized the financial benefit over people’s health. Seemingly, the General Assembly’s purpose of passing the bills is to take over the dealership of marijuana from the street dealers to be under State of Virginia’s control.
However, legalization of marijuana and regulation of its market will not change its harmfulness to a safe substance.
Obviously, Senator Lashrecse Aird, who sponsored the Senate bill, said, “ Bringing this market into a regulated framework allows us to address the illicit market, protect consumers, increase small business opportunities, and support early childhood education and reinvestment in communities across the commonwealth.”
Unfortunately, Virginia lawmakers are selling their case manipulatively to the Virginians with the key words “protect consumers, small business opportunities, and early childhood education.”
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), marijuana use can definitely have risk and long term negative side effects on brain health and causes a permanent IQ loss, mental health as there are studies that connect depression and anxiety to marijuana use, athletic performance that is affected by marijuana use as it can be seen in timing movement and coordination of athletes, and pregnancy and baby’s health as marijuana use can cause fetal growth restriction and problem with brain development.
All in all, legalizing marijuana and its retail market will only attract the young Virginians to addiction, which results in health and social issues.
