Governor Northam signed several bills into law in 2019 specific to the state’s nascent medical cannabis access program. Among them, Senate Bill 1557 permits physician assistants and nurse practitioners to issue medical cannabis recommendations and Senate Bill 1632 permits for the use of certain cannabis formulations on school grounds. (Link)(Link)

Signed HB 1251/SB 726: To eliminate the qualifying conditions list for the state's limited cannabidiol program, and allow doctors the sole discretion to decide when to recommend medical cannabis extracts. Increases the supply of CBD oil or THCA-A oil a pharmaceutical processor may dispense from a 30-day supply to a 90-day supply. (2018)

“We need to take an honest look at our criminal justice system, to make sure we’re treating people fairly--and using taxpayer dollars wisely. And it’s time to temper justice with mercy. This means decriminalizing marijuana possession--and clearing the records of people who’ve gotten in trouble for it.” (Link) 2019

The Governor emphasized the need to decriminalize marijuana in his 2019 State of the Commonwealth speech, stating: "Making simple possession of marijuana a civil penalty will ease overcrowding in our jails and prisons, and free up our law enforcement and court resources for offenses that are a true threat to public safety.” (1/9/19) (Link)

"There are a lot of lives that are ruined by making mistakes and being put in jail," he said in an interview with WTOP radio on Wednesday. "That's something (decriminalizing marijuana possession offenses) that I ran on in 2017, and there were actually some folks on both sides of the aisle that were discussing it but it didn't happen. But we'll continue to pursue that as we move forward." (3/29/18) https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-governor-renews-marijuana-decriminalization-pledge/

"We need to change sentencing laws that disproportionately hurt people of color. One of the best ways to do this is to decriminalize marijuana. African Americans are 2.8 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession in Virginia. The Commonwealth spends more than $67 million on marijuana enforcement? -- money that could be better spent on rehabilitation.

As a doctor, I'm becoming increasingly convinced by the data showing potential health benefits of marijuana, such as pain relief, drug-resistant epilepsy, and treatment for PTSD. By decriminalizing it, our researchers can better study the plant so doctors can more effectively prescribe drugs made from it." (2/13/17) https://medium.com/@RalphNortham/a-more-fair-and-just-virginia-5616664acb6a