Virginia

Behind Virginia’s mystery marijuana provision: Measure came from Governor’s office, with help from two Democrats

Published

3 years ago

June 11, 2022

Behind Virginia’s mystery marijuana provision: Measure came from Governor’s office, with help from two Democrats

RICHMOND — Ryan Go well with tries to maintain an in depth eye on marijuana laws.

Because the co-owner of a Virginia Seashore store that sells cannabinoid merchandise, he doesn’t wish to be caught off guard by new guidelines or rules. But even Go well with was shocked to be taught that, buried inside the state’s just lately unveiled price range proposal, is a provision that may create a brand new prison misdemeanor for marijuana possession.

“They primarily weaponized the price range proposal in opposition to hashish,” he stated.

Go well with stated he was unaware the price range convention committee was even contemplating the measure — and he isn’t the one one blindsided.

Lawmakers tried twice to make marijuana possession a misdemeanor throughout the common legislative session this yr. However when each payments failed, they used the again door.

Two Democratic lawmakers performed key roles in slipping the prison statute into the price range — meant for laying out the state authorities’s funds. It was a horse commerce on the eleventh hour; one was finishing up the needs of the Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s workplace in change for laws she needed. The opposite launched the availability to his three-person group hammering out price range particulars.

Now a mixture of lawmakers, organizations and others are slamming these concerned for treating the price range just like the legislative model of a drug mule.

“Lawmakers are including new prison penalties for marijuana by way of the price range course of with none public enter, regardless of the disparate impression this can have on Black & Brown of us,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia tweeted. “We must always all be outraged.”

One of many marijuana payments got here from a Democrat from Fairfax. It was continued to 2023 by a Home committee.

The opposite had a journey that helps clarify why the governor’s workplace regarded to the price range to hold the laws.

That invoice, from Republican Emmet Hanger, didn’t initially embody the misdemeanor provision; it will have prohibited the sale of edible hashish merchandise in shapes like animals that attraction to youngsters.

The invoice sailed via each chambers with ease and landed on Youngkin’s desk for last approval. As a substitute, Youngkin added the prison misdemeanor language, and extra, and despatched it again to the Senate.

This time, the invoice died in a committee.

So Youngkin turned his consideration to the price range.

The common legislative session ended March 12, however the Home and Senate’s proposed budgets have been nonetheless roughly $3 billion aside. A committee of lawmakers was then convened to resolve any variations and create a price range each chambers could be keen to cross.

The price range convention committee was comprised of 14 members however, because it seems, most of them have been marginalized. The 2 leaders of the committee determined that they and a 3rd lawmaker would hammer out the small print on their very own and temporary the remainder of the committee as they went alongside.

The threesome included Home Appropriations Chair Barry Knight, R-Virginia Seashore; Senate Finance and Appropriations Chair Janet Howell, D-Fairfax; and Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax.

“If it had been 14 individuals all making an attempt to barter on that, it will have been very tough and would have taken even longer,” Barker stated.

Many of the committee members’ communication occurred via again channels — a mixture of verbal updates and emails. Had they met as a committee commonly, the discussions about marijuana possession penalties would have been open to the public.

“We heard bits and items of what (the marijuana provision) could be and what it would appear to be popping out within the price range, however not likely precisely what it was till the price range itself got here out,” stated Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, a committee member.

“I’d a lot fairly have recognized prematurely and had it mentioned prematurely.”

The supply stipulates that anybody caught in public with greater than 4 ounces of marijuana — and fewer than a pound — may very well be charged with a misdemeanor. A subsequent offense would nonetheless be a misdemeanor however with a stiffer penalty.

Barker acknowledged he introduced the marijuana provision to three-person group, however stated it was delivered to him by one other Democratic senator, Barbara Favola.

Favola, of Arlington, confirmed that she introduced the availability to Barker however stated she didn’t agree with creating the brand new misdemeanor.

“I don’t suppose we should always have prison justice kind provisions in price range language; I believe they actually do benefit full conversations,” she stated.

Favola stated that language got here from the governor’s workplace.

Youngkin spokesperson Macauley Porter confirmed Favola’s assertion, noting {that a} nonpartisan fee related to the Normal Meeting had advisable the adjustments so there could be extra gradual penalties for these caught with marijuana in public earlier than getting hit with a felony. That fee, often called JLARC, conducts coverage evaluation for the Normal Meeting.

“Even states which have retail (marijuana) gross sales have limits on possession,” Porter wrote.

The rationale why Favola agreed to ship it to Barker: The marijuana proposal included one thing she needed — a handful of measures meant to stop youngsters from ingesting hashish, equivalent to banning the sale of merchandise that have been within the form of a “human, animal, automobile, or fruit.”

“The entire situation of packaging — that’s the place my thoughts was at,” Favola stated. “That was actually the one factor that motivated me to even speak about this was the security (points).”

After reviewing the proposal, Barker stated the threesome agreed to incorporate it within the price range. He stated legislators wanted to take motion in an effort to assist the state put together for 2024, when retail gross sales of marijuana are slated to start.

Knight defended the transfer by noting the JLARC suggestion and that it was a bipartisan effort.

For the reason that price range negotiations have been held behind closed doorways, the general public, the press and even most lawmakers didn’t be taught in regards to the marijuana provision till the price range proposal was posted on-line three days earlier than being put to a vote June 1.

By that time, lawmakers who objected felt their palms have been tied, as they might have needed to vote down the whole proposal to cease the marijuana measure from clearing the Normal Meeting.

Some lawmakers additionally slammed the price range committee for what they described as a scarcity of transparency.

On the Home flooring, Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, stated this yr’s course of was probably the most hidden “we might have imagined.”

“God forbid (the committee would) really need to have a public assembly and invite the press and the general public and the remainder of us in to know what it was they have been speaking about,” he stated. “In order that’s the consequence that you just get right here; you get dangerous coverage on the recriminalization of marijuana.”

As information of the brand new possession penalties unfold, some organizations protested the transfer.

Chelsea Higgs Clever, government director of Marijuana Justice, stated the coalition had fought off new crimes throughout the legislative session this yr and that there was “no purpose for management to consider this course of nor coverage displays the desire of the individuals.”

Lawmakers and the general public have a legitimate purpose to be upset, stated Justin Kirkland, affiliate professor of politics and public coverage on the College of Virginia. The aim of a price range is to make sure authorities companies have the funding wanted to hold out their missions, he stated, to not enact new crimes.

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Utilizing the price range to cross laws is interesting to some lawmakers, Kirkland stated.

“Folks don’t actually take note of price range negotiations actually rigorously and plenty of of them occur behind closed doorways so that provides (lawmakers) a lot of alternatives to do issues and simply hope they’ll get swept below the rug,” he stated.

Virginia isn’t the one state battling secretive state price range processes.

There was a nationwide push for extra transparency surrounding state budgets for the reason that Nineteen Nineties, in response to Benjamin Melusky, assistant professor of political science at Previous Dominion College.

However Melusky stated making a price range is a tenuous process that entails a sequence of compromises. If everybody begins to weigh in, some lawmakers argue it will solely derail the method, he stated.

“On the finish of the day, the price range course of is sophisticated,” Melusky stated. “However that doesn’t imply there nonetheless isn’t room or potential or a necessity for just a little extra public transparency within the course of. There’s room to develop right here.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

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Virginia

Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 70-50 Loss to Louisville

Published

7 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 70-50 Loss to Louisville

Virginia went cold from three-point range and struggled on both ends of the floor down the stretch as the Cavaliers (8-6, 1-2 ACC) suffered a 70-50 loss to Louisville (10-5, 3-1 ACC) in their first game of 2025 on Saturday evening at John Paul Jones Arena. Here are our five key takeaways from UVA’s loss, which was the first time the Cavaliers had ever lost to Louisville at John Paul Jones Arena.

There was stretches of Saturday’s game where the Cavaliers were going punch-for-punch with the Cardinals. A three-pointer from Andrew Rohde made it a four-point game with 15 minutes left in the first half, but that was the closest UVA ever got, as Louisville outscored Virginia 29-13 over the last 15 minutes of regulation. While the Virginia defense had been playing fairly well up to that point, the Cavaliers had too many breakdowns and gave up way too many open looks for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the other end of the floor was the much bigger issue for Virginia.

Virginia came into the game ranked 27th in the country in three-point shooting, converting at 38.5% as a team. Against Louisville on Saturday, the Cavaliers went a dismal 5/26 from beyond the arc. Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde went a combined 5/12 from three, which isn’t bad, but the rest of the team shot 0/14. There were a couple of three-point attempts that rimmed out and UVA missed a few open shots, but the Cavaliers struggled mightily to generate open looks against Louisville and it showed in the final perimeter shooting numbers.

Part of Louisville’s ability to pull away in this game was the sharpshooting of Reyne Smith. UVA knew Smith was Louisville’s best three-point shooter and yet Smith continued to make the Cavaliers pay for losing track of him off of screens. Smith drained five three-pointers and most of them were open looks. Virginia needs to take a hard look at the tape from this one and replicate what Louisville was doing with Reyne Smith for Isaac McKneely. As a side note, Smith and the Louisville bench scored 34 points as compared to just two points for the Virginia bench.

The Cardinals won the rebounding battle 42-25 and had 14 offensive rebounds to UVA’s six. The Cavaliers were fortunate that Louisville only scored 10 second-chance points. There was an obvious gap in athleticism between these two teams, but more concerningly, there was an evident gap in the levels of energy, aggressiveness, and desire with which the Cardinals pursued rebounds that the Hoos simply couldn’t, or wouldn’t match.

We’ve talked at length about UVA’s point guard situation and the lack of depth this team has in terms of ball-handlers and offensive facilitators. Dai Dai Ames is UVA’s best ball-handler, but in the last two games, he has played just nine and ten minutes, respectively. He was 0/2 from the floor and scored zero points against Louisville. Andrew Rohde played a good game and he deserves some recognition for his efforts, recording 16 points, three assists, and three steals. But when Andrew Rohde is the team’s primary, and in some ways, only offensive playmaker, that underscores some of the fundamental offensive flaws this team is facing right now.

Up next, Virginia heads west for a pair of games in California, starting with a late-night contest at Cal on Wednesday at 11pm ET (ESPNU).

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Game Preview: Oklahoma State Tips Off New Year at West Virginia

Published

18 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Game Preview: Oklahoma State Tips Off New Year at West Virginia

Oklahoma State is in a new era, but it needs to come with new results.

OSU is looking to get its first conference win against West Virginia, but winning on the road is one of the most difficult tasks in the Big 12. While the Cowboys have already surpassed their road win total from last season, getting those victories in conference play is another animal.

OSU didn’t win its first conference game last season until its seventh try. Of course, that game was against West Virginia. If the Cowboys can find a way to take down the Mountaineers again this season, it would be an ideal start to 2025.

Game Information: Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) vs. Opponent (10-2, 1-0)

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 4 at 11 a.m. CT

Where: WVU Coliseum – Morgantown, WV

TV/Streaming: CBSSN

Spread: West Virginia -9.5

Total Points: Over/Under 146.5 points

Moneyline: West Virginia -465, Oklahoma State +350

While OSU won its first conference game against West Virginia last season, it was the teams’ only matchup and was in Stillwater. The Cowboys’ last win in Morgantown came in 2021, with back-to-back losses there since.

With former Cowboy Javon Small leading the way for West Virginia, OSU will have to find a way to contain its leading scorer from a season ago. Without Small, OSU has struggled to find anyone to emerge as the go-to scorer, which could come with major consequences in Big 12 play.

OSU lost its conference opener to Houston, shooting only 25.9% in the 60-47 loss. While OSU’s offense sputtered, it showed its defensive ability, something Steve Lutz’s team will have to hang its hat on in conference play.

The Mountaineers upset Kansas on the road in their Big 12 opener, with Small’s late free throws pushing his team ahead. The Cowboys are hoping for a letdown from West Virginia after its big win, but they must be prepared for a surge in front of the West Virginia crowd, where the home team is 7-0 this season.

Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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3 takeaways from Virginia Tech's loss to Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

3 takeaways from Virginia Tech's loss to Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl

Minnesota shortened the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday and leaned on its defense for a 24-10 win over Virginia Tech.

The Gophers ran a 15-play drive in the third and fourth quarters that took 9:20 off the clock and ended with a field goal. They took 4:35 off the clock on the previous possession just to go 29 yards and punt. But it worked. Virginia Tech got just 3 second-half possessions and the Gophers flummoxed each of them.

With the win, Minnesota extended its streak of consecutive bowl victories to 8, a mark that stretches back to 2015. The Gophers end the year at 8-5 while Virginia Tech drops to 6-7.

Here are 3 takeaways from the game.

Minnesota defense dominates

Virginia Tech averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt — a fine number — but the Hokies were constantly behind the chains. Minnesota sacked Hokie quarterback Pop Watson 5 times. And it held the Hokies to just 4 yards per play on first downs. A disruptive defensive performance had the Hokies out of sorts all night.

Virginia Tech began the game with 3 consecutive 3-and-outs. After an 8-play, 80-yard touchdown march from Virginia Tech to take a 7-0 lead, Minnesota responded with a 21-3 run in the second quarter to take control of the game. In the second half, Minnesota limited the Hokies to 76 total yards of offense and just 18 plays.

The Hokies only got 3 second-half possessions while the Gophers sat on the ball on offense. The lone possession in the third quarter ended in a punt after 7 plays gained only 22 yards. On the Hokies’ final 2 drives, Minnesota held on fourth down twice.

After Max Brosmer threw an interception with 7:03 to play, Virginia Tech had one last chance to tighten things up and make a game of it. Defensive back Dante Lovett caught Brosmer’s pass off a deflection and returned it to Minnesota’s 15-yard-line.

In a 14-point game, the Hokies desperately needed a score. Instead, they went backward. After an 11-yard pass from Watson, 3 straight plays were stopped in the backfield for losses and Virginia Tech was forced to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 14. Za’Quan Bryan jumped a Watson pass and ended the threat without any damage done.

Minnesota was able to run out the remaining 4:24 to walk away with the victory.

Darius Taylor closes strong

Minnesota tailback Darius Taylor ran it 20 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a 10-yard touchdown pass. The 100-yard effort was Taylor’s fifth of the season and the ninth of his Minnesota career. That pushed him into a tie for the 10th-most such games by a Gopher player in program history.

Just a sophomore, Taylor will have a chance to leave his mark all over the Minnesota record book if he stays healthy. With Max Brosmer playing his final game for the Gophers (he went 18-for-29 for 211 yards, 1 score, and the aforementioned pick), Taylor could very well be the offensive engine next season for Minnesota just like Mo Ibrahim was several years ago.

Virginia Tech, shorthanded, does itself no favors

The Hokies were missing their entire starting secondary because of opt-outs and the transfer portal. Their regular starter at quarterback was once again unavailable. There were reasons to enter into Friday night with tempered expectations. Still, Virginia Tech didn’t help itself.

Offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen drew the ire of Hokie fans all throughout the game with his play-calling. After the Hokies’ fourth-quarter interception, Bowen’s sequencing was questionable at best. Rather than let Watson — who has flashed considerable potential late in the year — cook, Virginia Tech split his time with Colin Schlee and never really let Watson find a rhythm. He threw for 254 yards in the win over Virginia on Nov. 30 and threw just 12 passes on Friday.