Virginia State Senator Blames Cannabis For Rising Crime Rates, ‘Democrats Produced Our Current Crisis’
State Senator Bryce Reeves (R) issued a statement Monday claiming that recent marijuana reforms in the state have created confusion, a health crisis and increased crime.
His comments come shortly after the Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee approved Senate Bill 448 which would create a regulated cannabis market with licensed retail sales to begin in 2025. The bill allows cities to opt-out via voter decisions.
Reeves, who serves on the Virginia Senate Cannabis Subcommittee and is an Army Ranger veteran, said that the SB2 bill approved in 2020, which effectively decriminalized simple marijuana possession, caused “mass confusion among those Virginians who do not draw the distinction between legalization and decriminalization.”
The state senator, a retired narcotics detective, said that even though cannabis decriminalization notably lowered the number of arrests for usage, cannabis-related domestic abuse and violent crimes continue to rise.
“Democrats produced our current crisis by decriminalizing marijuana. Now they are using the proliferation of illegal weed as the reason to validate the market legalization” Reeves stated. “Democrats tried decriminalizing marijuana for the benefit of those suffering and are reminded why illicit drugs should remain illegal. While I will never vote for cannabis, I will act within my power as a senior legislator to make sure the proposed cannabis bills address …