Tonight, the Virginia General Assembly reportedly agreed on a marijuana legalization compromise that, from the perspective of racial justice, is worse than the status quo. How can that be? We’ll explain... 1/6 
As we understand it, the compromise creates new crimes like possession in a vehicle & possession under age 21, and new pretexts like “transportation” & offering or consuming marijuana in a public place—all of which will be enforced disproportionately against Black Virginians. 2/6
Moreover, the bill is at most an aspirational policy statement—the benefits (legalization) aren’t effective until ‘24, and the legislation includes a reenactment clause, requiring virtually every aspect to be voted on again in ‘22. The vote this year basically doesn’t matter 3/6
What matters is the message the legislature is sending, and to the criminal justice reform advocacy community and others fighting for racial justice, that message is clear: “we do not care what you think.” 4/6
Other than a “study” of racial impact—which ought to be well-understood by legislators amidst a nat’l civil rights movement—there’s nothing about the bill that advances the cause of equal or racial justice in Virginia. In fact, in several ways, it “re-criminalizes” marijuana. 5/6
This compromise is the product of a closed-door legislative process that prioritized the interests of recreational marijuana users over people and communities of color. By that measure, it is a failure, and regrettably we must urge legislators to vote against it. 6/6
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