Virginia decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana years ago, and now it’s on track to create a legal retail market. But a conservative, anti-pot group is targeting Democrats ahead of the vote.
According to Kevin Sabet from Smart Approaches to Marijuana, or SAM, creating a legal retail market for weed in Virginia is a big mistake.
“Not only does crime go up near marijuana stores in local areas, property values go down and youth has more access to it," Sabet warned. "It’s commercialized, it's in your face, it's on your way, walking home from school”
His group purchased a truck with massive TV screens to drive around the General Assembly building featuring the faces of several Democratic delegates with the message quote “shame on you for forcing pot shops on Virginia towns.”
Sabet hopes it will convince them to vote no on any future retail market effort: “Members need to know they’re setting their communities up for failure.”
Chelsea Higgs Wise is with Marijuana Justice; she’s been fighting to roll back Virginia's prohibition on marijuana for years and now, to help craft the new retail bill. She said Sabet’s complaints aren’t new, and they’ve long been used to criminalize choices she argues are up to the individual, not the government.
“That’s why states and commonwealths like Virginia are here putting in the time, putting up a regulatory measure that will be safe and make people feel ready for legalization,” Higgs Wise told Radio IQ.
Loudoun County Democratic Delegate John McAuliffe was among those targeted by the rolling ads. He said he’d never had his face on the side of a truck before but: “I’m happy to have voted to expand rights for Virginians and create ag jobs.”
The retail marijuana bill is still working through both chambers with some bipartisan support. A final version is likely to head to the governor’s desk in the coming weeks.
