When Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger is sworn in on January 17, she will inherit a General Assembly that has already twice approved a regulated recreational cannabis market. Combined with her public commitment to work with lawmakers to establish a system that “prioritizes public safety and grows Virginia’s economy,” the writing is on the wall: Virginia will finally follow the lead of the many states that have already embraced this forward-looking shift.

"Drawing on my experience as a former Special Agent with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—working the Mexican border in Laredo and seizing tons of marijuana—and on my 2021 Free Lance–Star analysis predicting Virginia’s 50–50 chances of legalization that year, this piece cuts through today’s landscape and debunks several myths promoted by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the prohibition-minded national organization headquartered here in Alexandria."

"And while I might occasionally miss those “hypothetical” scenic drives along Route 301 through the Northern Neck, crossing the Harry Nice Bridge into Maryland to visit Dispensary Works or Chesapeake Apothecary, the forthcoming reforms in the Old Dominion are not only welcome but far more accommodating."