"In a text sent Wednesday morning, Morefield said concerns about local optouts may be founded: 'Whether someone supports legalization of retail says or not, it should be commonsense to law makers that if someone is going to purchase marijuana, they are going to purchase it whether or not it's done legally or illegally,' he said in a text message.

'A legal retail marketplace will not stop illicit sales but it may save lives,' he added." (10/7/25)

"Del. Will Morefield, R-Tazewell County, has seen the marijuana retail stores open in his district and he’s concerned, mostly about the safety of the products. And although he’s a Republican, Morefield believes the answer is to establish a retail market.

'We decriminalized marijuana in Virginia and unfortunately, I think the setup that we now have is only promoting the illicit market,' he said. 'I don’t think the state has the resources to enforce the current laws. To garner enough tax revenue to do that, I believe would be to establish a retail sales market because … there are products out there that may be unsafe.'

Asked if he plans to introduce legislation to set up a retail market for marijuana, the delegate noted the governor’s disinterest in the subject but said if that changed and there was support in the House and Senate, he would consider it.

'In my opinion, I would rather see this fall under a regulated market versus just a free-for-all of unregulated marijuana floating around the streets right now,' Morefield said." (9/6/23)

Voted against advancing legalization legislation in committee during the 2022 General Assembly session (SB391 Cannabis Legalization Retail Sales).