Republican Representative Bob Good Says Marijuana is a "Gateway Drug"
Medical marijuana in Virginia has seen a moderately successful rollout over the last couple of years. Access to relief is expanding and getting easier. However, the majority of residents in the state want to see even more relaxed marijuana laws, and legislators are listening.
Mostly.
Freshman Representative from Virginia’s 5th District, Bob Good, thinks that marijuana is a gateway drug. He is not happy about the adult-use bill, and he is asking Governor Northam to veto his own legislation.
Adult-Use Marijuana Passes Virginia House and Senate
The adult-use marijuana bill that the governor helped to introduce was hotly debated between the Virginia House and the Senate, and it looked like it may not pass until lawmakers came to some last-minute agreements on February 27th, 2021. The bill is awaiting a signature from Northam, and new possession laws will take effect in 2024.
Good argues that residents in Virginia want to raise their families in a drug-free environment, and that marijuana leads to harder drug use. In a letter written to the governor asking him to scrap the bill, Good stated,
"Marijuana is often the ‘gateway’ drug, and its legalization will increase experimentation with it and other drugs. Surely, we can all agree that facilitating more Virginians trying and using addictive, behavior-altering, recreational drugs is not good for individuals or the Commonwealth as a whole.”
Marijuana in Virginia: Reefer Madness or Welcome Relief?
Good is known for his support of controversially conservative views, including that same-sex marriage is unlawful and that transgender individuals should have restricted access to public bathrooms. He thinks that marijuana legalization will take Virginia down a path that looks more like Reefer Madness than a regulated, revenue-generating opportunity for the Commonwealth.
As medical marijuana patients are aware, this could not be further from the truth. Cannabis is known to help treat symptoms of anxiety and OCD, and people are successfully using medical marijuana to fight opioid addiction.
There are so many reasons to legalize adult-use cannabis, and it looks like Virginia is going to keep moving in that direction despite Bob Good’s objections. However, possession laws will not take effect until 2024 as the proposed law is currently written.
Protect Yourself With A Virginia Marijuana Card
We are thrilled that access to marijuana is opening up to people looking for relief throughout Old Dominion! Here at Virginia Marijuana Card, we can help you protect your rights to access until 2024.
Once adult-use marijuana is legalized, having a Virginia marijuana card will help you save money when you make your purchases, because medical marijuana in the state is not subject to tax.
Give us a call at (888)-633-5808, or schedule a medical marijuana evaluation appointment online today!