![virginia governor issues ad wars virginia governor issues ad wars](https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-memorial-day-2880x1800.jpg)
They’ve already predicated a bunch of spending on it and the reality is I’m going to have to deal with this when I’m governor.” The reality is that the industry that everyone used as the rationale for legalizing it, has not performed in other states. “And the reality is, if I had a group of kids here that were asking me about marijuana use, I would tell them don’t use it. “ is going to be another problem that’s going to be dumped at my feet,” Youngkin said. In May, he told CNBC that cannabis legalization is a “mess” that he would “clean up” as governor, though he didn’t offer specifics. Youngkin, meanwhile, has shown little more than aversion for cannabis legalization.
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR ISSUES AD WARS LICENSE
“I think that that’s just another natural evolution that happens with lawmakers who are focused on sound public policy, as opposed to partisan talking points,” Pedini said.ĭuring his prior governorship, McAuliffe signed several cannabis bills, authorizing the drug’s use for patients with epilepsy, and easing driver’s license suspensions for people charged with cannabis offenses.
![virginia governor issues ad wars virginia governor issues ad wars](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2018-01/5/20/campaign_images/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-03/virginia-governor-sends-a-powerful-message-to-whi-2-29307-1515201065-40_dblbig.jpg)
Jenn Michelle Pedini, Executive Director for the Virginia branch of NORML, a national cannabis advocacy group, told The Outlaw Report that McAuliffe’s willingness to change his stance on legalization is the mark of a pragmatic politician. If we want to finally implement real criminal justice reform, we have to be bold, and this is a great place to start.” “But we do need to challenge ourselves to do what is right, not what is easy. “There is no question marijuana needs to be legalized in Virginia,” McAuliffe wrote in the piece, which was co-authored by Don Scott, a fellow Democrat in Virginia’s House of Delegates. In a November opinion piece published in the Washington Post, he embraced legalization as a “civil rights” issue, calling for the expungement of prior cannabis convictions, eliminating cannabis-related barriers to employment, and prioritizing the participation of people harmed by The War on Drugs in the industry. Though McAuliffe initially opposed legalizing recreational pot, he eventually became an advocate for the cause, and is now placing it at the forefront of his re-election agenda. McAuliffe and Youngkin seem to have diametrically opposed views on cannabis issues. While the commonwealth’s next governor will have limited power to affect cannabis legislation, advocates say a cannabis opponent could slow the state’s progress on legalization at a critical junction. Virginia Democrats meanwhile, call Youngkin, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, a “pro-Trump extremist.”īy the time the winner of November’s general election is sworn-in it will be January and Virginia will have legalized cannabis possession, while a regulatory framework for recreational pot sales-which won’t begin until 2024-is still being hammered out. The private equity executive, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $354 million, has used his personal wealth to flood Virginia’s airwaves with virulent attack ads against his rivals. But what Youngkin lacks in political experience he makes up for in money. His opponent, a self-described political outsider, has never run for public office. A darling of national Democrats, McAuliffe previously served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and spearheaded presidential campaigns for the Clintons. Polls show McAuliffe, an establishment candidate who is running for his old job-he was governor of Virginia from 2014-2018-is neck and neck with Youngkin. Terry McAuliffe cruised to the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor on Tuesday, setting the stage for what could be a close race between the former governor and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin, a businessman with no prior political experience.