The year 2021 was very successful for the movement to legalize marijuana in The Commonwealth. Patients who qualify for medical marijuana were granted employment protections. Governor Northam signed a law that legalizes the use of cannabis by adults and initiates the process of restorative justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Expungements have begun for low-level, nonviolent cannabis convictions. Under the new law, you are now permitted to legally possess and use cannabis as long as you do not have more than an ounce of the drug on your person at any given time. Additionally, those with a green thumb are allowed to cultivate up to four of their marijuana plants legally.

On the other hand, the new year and the new leadership of the Republican Party raise many issues regarding the implications of Virginia’s recreational marijuana legislation for the state’s residents in 2022 and beyond. Members of both parties in the Virginia legislature support the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Access to medical marijuana through medical marijuana delivery in Richmond, VA, and many other ways will probably continue to increase in the years to come. However, recreational marijuana must first clear several significant obstacles before it is possible to legally purchase cannabis for adult use from a dispensary in the Virginia beach area without first presenting a medical marijuana license.

Let’s take a look at why you might want to think about acquiring a marijuana card in Virginia this year, as well as what’s going to happen with sales of marijuana for adult use in Virginia in the short term and in a long time.

There is Still Uncertainty Regarding Recreational Dispensaries in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Suppose you are a resident of Virginia and have been issued a medical marijuana card. In that case, you are permitted to enter any dispensary in the Virginia Beach area and make a purchase from among an ever-expanding selection of marijuana products that you are sure to enjoy. Instead of waiting for legislators in Virginia to get adult-use dispensary sales up and running, you won’t have to wait much longer to obtain access to marijuana that is legal to possess.

When you shop at authorized medical marijuana shops in Virginia, you can purchase, through medical marijuana delivery in Richmond, VA, a wide array of cannabis products, including edibles, medical marijuana flowers, tinctures, topicals, concentrates, vape pens or cartridges, and more. Check out the menu of a Virginia dispensary online. You’ll find a wide variety of sativas, indicas, and hybrids, some of which have a higher concentration of THC and others of which have a higher concentration of CBD, all of which can be tailored to meet your individual needs in terms of natural wellness.

Patients in Virginia who have been approved for medical marijuana have access to all dispensaries in the state for purchasing medicinal cannabis products, and the vast majority of patients live within the delivery zone of at least one dispensary site. This means you may order cannabis online and deliver it to your home for medical purposes.

In Virginia, going to a dispensary without a card is illegal right now, and this is a possibility that this will only change in 2024. Lawmakers have a great deal of dispute on the best way to bring about the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana sales by the 1st of July, 2022. Some MPs are attempting to bring this date forward to this year.

While some Republicans agree that access should be granted more quickly rather than later, others from their party would rather the prohibition of recreational sales be lifted entirely. Because Democrats are adamant about keeping the criminal justice reforms in place and Republicans, for the most part, want to get rid of them, it is going to be a complicated task to get any cannabis-related legislation introduced this year to become law.

If the sale deadline to adults for recreational use is brought forward, it is likely on July 1, 2023. The Cannabis Control Authority chose this date as a compromise, but it is still more than a year away.

Compared to recreational use sales, medical marijuana results in significant tax savings.

However, everybody is on the same page when it comes to the taxes that must be paid on adult-use products. This is despite all of the arguments that have taken place in Virginia around the establishment of an infrastructure to support recreational marijuana stores. The tax rate on recreational marijuana in Virginia has already been decided, but it is not yet apparent where the money from the tax will go. Patients who use medical marijuana will, however, enjoy significant savings as a result of the lower tax rate.