Today, Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) released the following statement in response to the amendments Governor Ralph Northam has introduced to legislation legalizing the simple possession of marijuana.

In 2021, McClellan introduced an amendment to the current Senate marijuana bill to legalize the possession of recreational marijuana in Virginia by this summer. 

“Repealing the prohibition on simple possession this year is a huge step towards ending the cycle of inequity that has targeted communities of color across Virginia for generations,” Sen. McClellan. “We cannot allow an unjust system of marijuana criminalization to continue any longer. I introduced the amendment to legalize the simple possession of marijuana starting this July, and I’m appreciative of Gov. Northam for making a similar amendment today.

“We must redress the harm marijuana enforcement has caused on Black and Brown communities, and these amendments are a good start. I’m proud of the efforts that activists and legislators have contributed to come together and propose solutions for a better future for our Commonwealth, but the work is not done yet. We need to legalize marijuana right — and that means putting equity at the center of our legalization and commercialization process.”

Sen. McClellan has been a vocal leader in the fight to legalize the simple possession of marijuana in a way that centers social equity. McClellan led passage of a 2020 resolution to study and make recommendations for how Virginia should legalize and regulate the growth, sale, and possession of marijuana. The recommendations from JLARC’s 2020 study addressed prior disproportionality in marijuana enforcement and paved the way for action on equitable legalization.

McClellan has advocated for marijuana legislation to redress past disproportionality in marijuana enforcement and ensure Black and Brown Virginians have an opportunity to benefit from the new commercial market.